Something Borrowed, Something Blue
by MyImmortal329
Summary: Sequel to After Boston. With the wedding approaching, Sully tries to help Michaela cope with the fact that Charlotte is rapidly ailing all while trying to keep their new family together.
1. Good News

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. The rights to those characters and to the show belong to the creators of the show, to CBS, The Sullivan Company and to A&E.

**Something Borrowed, Something Blue**

**Chapter 1: Good News**

The crickets were singing loudly as Sully and Michaela made their way back to the homestead. Michaela felt as if she was walking on a cloud. Sully had made her so very happy, and she kept looking at her engagement ring to make sure she hadn't imagined it all. Sully's hand was holding hers, and he would softly squeeze it every once in awhile to reassure her that she wasn't dreaming.

The moon seemed bigger and brighter somehow, while the stars were sparkling like millions of tiny fireflies. Sully had never seen Michaela smile so much, but he was happy that he had put that smile on her face. He wanted to see that perfect smile every day for the rest of his life.

A coyote howled somewhere in the distance, and Michaela shivered. Sully put an arm around her and she snuggled in close to him as they walked. She felt so tired, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that someday she would be married to Sully and he would be sharing her bed.

"It won't be too long now. The homestead's just over this ridge," Sully pointed out. Michaela nodded absent-mindedly. She wanted to get home and crawl into bed, but she'd have rather stayed out all night in the company of the man she loved.

"I'll have to write home to Boston to tell my mother and father about the wedding. I'm sure father will be thrilled."

"And your ma?"

"Well, she'll have to get used to it. I'm sure she'll be pleased that I'm getting married."

"Except for the fact that you're marryin' me," Sully replied. Michaela smiled a little.

"I don't care what she thinks. All that matters is that I love you, and I want to marry you. It isn't her place to say who I should marry and who I shouldn't." Sully responded by scooping Michaela up into his arms, as a husband would do to a bride when carrying her across the threshold. "Sully!" she cried out in surprise. Sully smiled when he heard her melodious laugh.

"You think your ma will come to the weddin'?" Sully asked.

"I don't know. I suppose that'll depend on when we set a date."

"Why don't we do that now?"

"Isn't it a bit soon? We have all the time in the world to plan," Michaela explained.

"I don't wanna waste a lot of time. I wanna have you as my wife, and I ain't gonna wait for all the time in the world." Michaela smiled knowingly and gently caressed her love's face.

"I would like a spring wedding. Perhaps May?"

"May would be good," Sully replied. "So we've got eight months to plan it. Do you want a big weddin'?"

"I'm not sure, Sully. It just depends on how many people we invite."

"I guess we'll settle that later then." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and put her down when they reached the homestead. She walked up onto the porch and Sully grabbed her hands. She turned around as he looked up at her.

"You've made me so happy," she whispered. "I love you."

"I love you," he answered. "G'nite." He kissed both of her hands before he turned to leave. Wolf, who had been lurking around, ran to catch up with his master.

Michaela walked into the homestead with feelings of hope and elation in her heart. She was never so sure in her entire life about anything until Sully asked for her hand in marriage. Yes, she had been sure that she wanted to be a doctor, but this was different. Choosing to be with Sully was something she hadn't had much time to think about. Yes, she knew she wanted to marry him, but she and Sully had only known each other for a few weeks. The feelings she had were so strong that she didn't need time to think, whereas she sent the first eighteen years of her life thinking about whether or not she wanted to try to become a doctor.

It was too dark to see anything, so Michaela stumbled around, found the matches, and lit one of the oil lamps. Her dark home lit up dimly and she realized that once she and Sully were married, she might never have to come home to a dark empty house again. She liked the idea of that, because frankly, it was way too cold and dark outside for her liking this late at night.

The coyotes began to howl again, and a gust of wind opened the shutters. She hurried over and closed them. She slipped out of her dress and into her warm sleeping gown. After a few minutes, she had a warm fire burning in the fireplace, and she felt a bit more comfortable. She had only wished that Sully were there with her to share the warmth of the fire. However, he had other things to do, and she had had the most romantic evening that had to end sometime.

Michaela knew that she wasn't going to be able to sleep. She was too happy and excited. So, she pulled out a book of Ralph Waldo Emerson's poems, sat in her rocking chair by the fire, and began to read. It wasn't too long before her head lolled back and she fell into a deep sleep filled with wonderful dreams of her future with Sully.

Michaela rode into town with a smile on her face the next morning. She was surprised to find Myra sitting outside of the clinic with Horace. They seemed to be getting along quite well, and Michaela was glad to see that Myra was fitting in.

Grace was standing over on the porch of the clinic with Robert E. She smiled when Michaela walked over toward them.

"Mornin', Dr. Mike!" Grace exclaimed.

"Good morning, Grace. What's everyone doing here?"

"We just paid Widow Cooper a visit," Horace explained. "We figured she'd be up for some company."

"How is she feeling?"

"Much better," Myra chimed in. "Grace made her something for breakfast."

"That's good. But she hasn't been very hungry the last couple of days, I'm afraid."

"Well, she seems to be getting her appetite back, so maybe she's gonna hang in there a while longer," Grace suggested. Michaela smiled a bit.

"I hope so." Myra gasped when she saw something shining from Michaela's hand. Grace's gaze followed hers.

"Oh my goodness!" Grace exclaimed, lifting Michaela's hand. "You're engaged?!" Michaela grinned and nodded eagerly.

"Since when?!" Myra asked.

"Since last night. Sully proposed to me over a romantic dinner."

"He told me he wanted me to make somethin' special, but I had no idea he was gonna ask ya to marry him!" Grace exclaimed. "That ring is gorgeous!" Michaela nodded.

"I know. I'm so completely happy! Not because of the ring, but because the man I love has asked me to marry him."

"So when's the big day?"

"We haven't decided yet," Michaela pointed out. The door to the clinic opened and Colleen came walking out. "Good morning, Colleen. How's your mother?"

"She's doin' real good. She's restin' right now. She told me to come see if you needed me to pick anything up from Mr. Bray's store."

"I don't believe I need any supplies," Michaela said, pondering for a moment. Colleen's eyes went wide when she saw the ring on Michaela's finger.

"Dr. Mike? When did you get that ring?" Her eyes lit up and she smiled brightly. "Did Sully ask ya to marry him?" Michaela nodded with a proud grin on her face.

"Yes. He asked me last night."

"Congratulations!" Colleen exclaimed, hugging her happily. The other women joined in and Michaela couldn't help but beam. She was so honored to be wearing a ring from Sully.

"Thank you," Michaela replied.

"Yeah, that's great news, Dr. Mike. I'll have to shake Sully's hand later," Robert E. said politely. Horace realized it was about time to head off to the telegraph office.

"Myra, I best be getting back to work. I'll see you later tonight for dinner?"

"You sure will," Myra replied with a shy smile. Horace started to walk away.

"Oh, and congratulations, Dr. Mike."

"Thank you, Horace!" Michaela called after him. Michaela was starting to walk into the clinic when Loren came rushing across the street.

"Dr. Mike! Dr. Mike!" he yelled. Michaela turned in his direction.

"Loren? What is it?!"

"It's Hank! He was servin' a fella some drinks and the guy pulled a gun on 'im!" Loren yelled. Jake came rushing out of the saloon with a very disoriented Hank. Hank was stumbling as he walked, and blood was gushing from a wound on his abdomen.

"Don't take me to that woman!" he yelled.

"Ya ain't got no choice, Hank. I can't sew that up, and plus that bullet's in too deep. Gotta take yer chances with her," Jake pointed out. Loren helped Jake help Hank into the clinic. Colleen followed them in and shut the door.

"Colleen, you should wait outside."

"No. I wanna stay," she replied. "I can help." Michaela looked at the girl, and she seemed sincere.

"Loren, Jake, you should wait outside."

"We'll get a posse together and find the man who shot him." Jake and Loren left and Michaela glanced at Colleen. Hank was struggling and Michaela knew he'd have to be put out for the procedure to extract the bullet.

"Put a bit of that chloroform in the brown bottle onto this cloth," Michaela said, pointing her instructions as she exposed the serious wound. Colleen nodded and put a few drops on it. That's enough. Take my pocket watch out of my pocket." Colleen nodded and did as Michaela asked. "Now hold that over his nose for a few seconds every minute. Can you do that?" Colleen nodded and did her job. With that, Michaela began the risky procedure to extract the bullet from Hank's abdomen.

She began to cut through the tissues to find the bullet. She looked up briefly to see Colleen watching in fascination as she continued to keep Hank unconscious.

"Alright, I see the bullet. She slowly reached in with one of her instruments and lifted the bullet out. Once that was finished, she found that the blood was rushing out more quickly.

"What's happening?" Colleen asked.

"It's called a bleeder. The bullet was pressed up against a blood vessel. When I removed it, the vessel started bleeding." She worked quickly, trying to get the bleeding stopped, but she found it more difficult that she had thought it would be.

"He's sure losin' a lot of blood," Colleen pointed out.

"Yes, and that's not good. I need to get this stopped or he could bleed to death."

Loren and Jake were waiting on the porch of the clinic. Myra, Grace, Robert E., and Reverend Johnson were there as well. It wasn't like Hank was the nicest person in the world, but he surely hadn't deserved what had happened to him.

Sully came walking up with Wolf, and for a moment, he thought that perhaps Charlotte had died.

"What's goin' on?"

"Hank got shot," Reverend Johnson replied quietly. He saw Loren look up at him.

"Sully, can I talk to ya for a minute?" Sully was surprised that Loren was speaking to him, much less looking at him.

"Sure," he replied slowly. Loren stood and he and Sully walked off toward the mercantile. When the arrived, they went inside and Loren closed the doors. He was quiet as he walked around to stand behind the counter. Sully stayed on the other side and just stared at the other man. "Loren?"

"I saw an engagement on Dr. Mike's finger," he began. Sully swallowed hard and nodded.

"Yes. I proposed to her last night."  
"Do you love her?"

"Of course I do, but I don't see how that's any of your business." Loren looked away, and Sully felt guilty for what he had said. "Look, I know you hate me for what happened to Abagail, but I can't change that."

"I don't hate you," Loren grumbled.

"You don't gotta lie to me."

"I don't hate you! I hate myself for turnin' my back on my baby girl. She needed my support, and I wouldn't give it to her. She wanted me to give her away at your weddin', but I was too proud to even consider it."

"Don't blame yourself for her dyin'."

"Why not?"

"Because it wouldn't have mattered if you'd have been there or not. The point is that Abagail died because she had problems givin' birth to our baby. There ain't no changin' that. I loved her, but that's the past. I'm in love with Dr. Mike, and I can't fight those feelin's. I love her, and I want her to be a part of my life."

"Abagail woulda wanted you to be happy."

"You don't care 'bout me bein' happy."

"How do you know?"

"Because since Abagail died, you've done everything in your power to make sure that you show the world that I'm the horrible person you think I am."

"I ain't sayin' that you're my favorite person in the world. I'm just sayin' that I know that what happened to Abagail was somethin' that nobody coulda stopped."

"Dr. Mike could have." Loren looked at him with confusion in his eyes.

"What?"

"Emily Donovan was goin' through what Abagail did, only, Dr. Mike saved her."

"Dr. Mike wasn't there for Abagail, but if she saved that girl, I'm sure she woulda saved my Abagail." Sully swallowed hard and walked over to one of the wooden cabinets. He saw a drawing of a small girl.

"Is this Abagail?"

"Yeah," Loren said, remembering the day that photo was drawn. "I had taken her to Denver with me, and a man on the streets was drawing portraits for a nickel. Abagail begged me to let her get one, so I paid the nickel. She was so happy, and I was happy just to see that smile on her face. There was only one time after that when I saw her smile so bright."

"When was that?"

"The day she met you," Loren replied. He took his feather duster and began to sweep the dust off of the counter. Sully swallowed hard and he took a deep breath.

"I have some things of Abagail's that you might like to have. I figured it's time I passed them on seein' as me and Dr. Mike will be getting married."

"You don't gotta do that," Loren replied.

"I want to. You're a good man, Loren, believe it or not, and I don't wanna be the reason you're so unhappy."

"I'm unhappy because of a lot of things. You ain't my top priority." Sully laughed a little. Loren chuckled and extended a hand. Sully took it cautiously.

"I ain't gonna say that I'm happy 'bout you takin' my little girl away from me and marryin' her, but I do know that you made her happy, so I'm just gonna say thanks." Sully realized that he and Loren had finally gotten somewhere, and he decided to take what he could get. He nodded and shook his ex-father-in-law's hand, knowing that they were both well on their way to healing the past.

The vigil for Hank was still standing strong when Michaela left the clinic. Colleen offered to clean up, and once Michaela showed her the proper way, she went to work eagerly.

"Did he make it?" Reverend Johnson asked. Michaela nodded.

"Just barely. He lost a lot of blood, but I managed to stop it. Hank's going to need a blood transfusion."

"What's that?" Jake asked.

"It's where a needle is inserted into one person's arm and also into the patients. It's to give the patient blood to make up for what they lost."

"Is anyone willing to help?" Reverend Johnson asked. Everyone looked at Jake. He was Hank's friend, after all."

"What are you lookin' at me for?" Everyone just shrugged and looked at Dr. Mike.

"He'll need the transfusion very soon or he'll die," Dr. Mike warned. Jake swallowed hard, not liking the sound of losing his friend, if he could consider Hank a friend.

"I'll do it," Jake offered. Michaela smiled a little.

"Thank you. There's not a guarantee that it will work, but anything is better than nothing at this point." Jake, feeling nervous about letting this woman doctor stick a needle inside of him, reluctantly followed her inside and closed the door behind him.

Michaela knocked on Charlotte's door after she was finished up with Hank and Jake. She heard Charlotte cough and move around in her bed.

"Come in," Charlotte called weakly. Michaela opened up the door and walked inside.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better," Charlotte replied.

"That's good news," Michaela replied with a smile. She walked over to sit on the edge of Charlotte's bed. "Colleen assisted me with a surgery."

"Did she?" Charlotte asked, her eyes wide.

"Yes. You would have been proud. She didn't freeze or anything. She wanted to stay and help."

"That's my little girl. She's growin' up and becomin' a woman."

"Indeed she is," Michaela replied. Charlotte smiled and took a deep breath. Michaela pulled out her stethoscope and listened to her friend's lungs. She frowned. "There's fluid in your lungs." Charlotte nodded.

"I wasn't sure what that feelin' was."

"You rest now. I'll bring some instruments up later to drain the fluid."

"Alright, doc."

"You aren't going to argue with me?"

"I figure I'm too old and weak to be arguin' with someone as young as yourself."

"You aren't old, Charlotte," Michaela replied with a chuckle. Charlotte smiled and yawned a little bit. "I'll let you get some rest." She stood and Charlotte saw the ring on her finger. She grabbed the doctor's hand and made her sit back down.

"You were gonna leave without mentionin' this?" Charlotte asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't want to bother you right now. I just wanted to check on you," Michaela replied.

"My friend's happiness is more important than me restin'."

"Not to me."

"It is to me," Charlotte replied. "So he finally asked ya?"  
"Yes. He asked me last night," Michaela explained. She began to blush.

"I'm happy for ya, Dr. Mike."

"Thank you," the doctor answered. She smiled at her friend and stood up. "Now get some rest. It'll make everyone feel better if you do."

"That's all I been doin'. It's boring," Charlotte replied. The two women laughed together and Michaela shook her head.

"I'll bring you some books later. Just try to get a few more hours of sleep."

"I'll try. It ain't gonna be easy."

"Thank you." Michaela left and went downstairs to find Colleen putting the freshly cleaned instruments away in their proper places. "You did a wonderful job assisting me today, Colleen. Thank you."

"No, thank you," Colleen replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I decided awhile ago that I don't wanna be an actress. I wanna be a doctor like you." Michaela's eyes went wide.

"Are you sure?! Colleen, don't make any rash decisions."

"I ain't. I've been thinkin' about it for about a week, and after today, I know I wanna be a doctor and help people just like you." Michaela smiled at the girl. "If you'd let me, I'd like to help you more often so I can learn. Would you mind?"

"Of course I wouldn't," Michaela replied with a grin. "I would be relieved to have some help around here."

"Thanks, Dr. Mike!" She sighed a little. "Who knows, maybe one day I'll find a cure for cancer so that people won't have to suffer like ma." Michaela pulled Colleen into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "You think I could?"

"I believe that anything is possible."

Later that evening, Michaela was sitting on the porch of her homestead, relaxing with a cup of tea after a very long day in town. She smiled as she watched the sunset make beautiful pink and orange swirls in the sky. It was a magical time of the evening, and Michaela relished every beautiful sunset, because she had never seen anything so beautiful. Colorado sunrises and sunsets were so beautiful, and in Boston, you could even see the sun until it was high in the sky. It was just amazing to see one of the great natural occurrences in all of its glory.

"Evenin', Dr. Mike." Michaela smiled and turned to see her betrothed walking towards her.

"Good evening, Sully," she replied. Sully walked up the steps and sat down beside his future wife.

"You look tired. Are ya feelin' okay?"

"Yes. You're right though, I am tired."

"You been workin' too hard."

"No. I've just been worrying about Charlotte. I forgot to write a letter for my parents, so I'll have to do that soon. I've got so many things on my mind, but the one thing I can't stop thinking about is you." Sully smiled and put his arm around Michaela.

"Sorry if I'm distractin' ya."

"You aren't distracting me, so don't ever think that. I love you, and I can't wait to be your wife, but I'm afraid the wait is going to send me to get the best of me." They both chuckled and shared a tender kiss. When they pulled away from one another, Sully saw tears forming in Michaela's eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," she replied, looking away. Sully tilted her chin toward him and looked into her eyes.

"There's nothin' that you can't say to me. You know that, right?" Michaela nodded.

"I know. It's just that . . ."

"Yeah?"

"Charlotte's the first person who gave me a chance here when I arrived. I want her to be my maid of honor, but I'm afraid she might not be around when our wedding approaches." Sully sighed and nodded.

"I know what you mean," he replied. "Charlotte's a good woman, and I want you to have what you want. If havin' the weddin' early is what it takes to have Charlotte stand up with you, we can push the weddin' up."

"I don't know, Sully. I know I want to be your wife, but I'm not quite sure I'm ready to get married right now with everything that's going on. I want the wedding to be in May, and I don't want Charlotte to leave us before that. She shouldn't be sick. She shouldn't be dying!" The tears began to flow and Sully pulled Michaela into his arms, lightly cradling her.

"It's gonna be alright, Michaela." He kissed her forehead. "I know you're gonna do whatever it takes to try to keep her around for our weddin'. But if she can't make it, don't blame yourself. I don't want you to be upset on our weddin' day. If she can't be there with you as your main of honor, you'll know she's still with ya in your heart." Michaela looked into Sully's eyes and she smiled knowingly.

"Thank you for saying those words. They're just what I needed to hear."

"I'm gonna do whatever it takes to make you feel better. Just tell me what ya need." Michaela gently kissed her soon-to-be husband and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Just hold me." She rested her head on his chest and he pulled her into her into his lap and lightly rubbed her shoulders as he rocked her back and forth.

"I've got ya," he whispered. "I ain't ever lettin' go."


	2. Healing

**Chapter 2: Healing**

By sunrise the next day, Michaela was ready to head into town. She wanted to check on Charlotte and Emily, but she was very concerned about Hank. She wondered if she should have stayed at the clinic to watch over him the night before, but Myra promised to look in on him and come fetch the doctor if anything seemed off about him. Everything had been quiet, so Michaela figured that Hank had made it through the night.

When she arrived in town, everything was still and the stores were all closed. It was a bit eerie to be out this early and see the town completely still. But, Michaela knew that within an hour or so, the town would be alive again.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to find the Cooper children sitting around waiting inside.

"Children? Is everything alright?"

"We woke up early, so we came down here so we wouldn't wake ma," Brian pointed out.

"That was very thoughtful," Michaela noted with a smile. The door closing off the upstairs opened and Myra stepped out. "Good morning, Myra."

"Mornin', Dr. Mike. Can you come take a look at Hank? I went in to check on him this mornin', and he seems to be doin' better."  
"That's good news!" Michaela said happily. "I'll come check on him." The doctor followed Myra upstairs and into Hank's room. When they arrived at their destination, Michaela sat down at Hank's bedside. She felt his forehead and was pleased that he had no fever. He was still unconscious, which worried her, but when she checked her stitch work on his wound, there seemed to be no signs of infection. "He appears to be healing nicely. I'm a little concerned that he hasn't woken yet, but I'm sure he'll wake within a couple of hours. If he doesn't I may need to re-examine him." Myra nodded and Michaela began to wonder why she was so concerned about a man who was going to have her work for him as a prostitute.

"Myra? Why don't you come downstairs?" Michaela suggested.

"Somebody should sit with him so he ain't alone," Myra replied. "I don't think he's got a family, and I know if I was sick, I'd want somebody sittin' with me. Nobody else seems to be jumpin' at the chance." Michaela nodded in understand and decided to change the subject.

"How did your dinner with Horace go last night?" A look of realization washed over Myra's face, and she covered her mouth with her hand in disbelief.

"Oh no! I must've forgot! Horace is gonna be so mad! I was just sittin' with Hank, and I must've lost track of the time." Michaela put a reassuring hand on Myra's shoulder.

"I'm sure Horace will understand." Michaela left the room and heard crying coming from Emily Donovan's room. She smiled and tapped on the door.

"Come in!" Emily called over her infant daughter's squalling. Michaela entered the room and smiled at the new mother as she tried to comfort the child. "Sorry if she's wakin' the other patients."  
"It's alright. Hank needs woken up, and I'm sure Charlotte understands what you're going through. She has three children of her own." Emily smiled graciously. "How are you feeling, Emily?"

"I'm so tired. The baby kept wakin' me up last night, and it just ain't the same it was with my son. She cries more and it takes her longer to get back to sleep."

"All babies are different, Emily. It'll take some getting used to, but I'm sure that after awhile, she'll learn to sleep more in the daytime and let you sleep. I'm sure you'll be up plenty with her at night for a few months." The baby continued to cry, and Michaela noticed a bit of a cough. She furrowed her brows in concern. She knew better than to worry Emily while she was so weak after giving birth, but she needed to check the baby's temperature. "How long as she been coughing like that?"

"The mornin' after she was born. So about a day," Emily replied. "I thought it was nothin' serious. Is somethin' wrong with my baby, Dr. Mike?"

"I'm sure there's nothing seriously wrong. May I hold her?"

"Sure," Emily replied. She handed the newborn baby to the doctor. Michaela felt the baby's forehead, and she was burning up.

"Emily, your baby has a severe fever."

"How could that have happened?!" Emily asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"Maybe she got cold at night. I need to take her downstairs and treat her."

"Is she gonna be alright?!"

"I'm sure she'll be fine. It's just a fever, and if it starts to go down soon, I'm sure it's nothing serious."

"Please help her," Emily said, tears starting to fall.

"I'll do what I can. Just rest, Emily. I'll take good care of her."

"I trust you, Dr. Mike." Michaela hurried out of the room and went downstairs with Emily's child. The kids saw her come out with the baby, and she put her down on the exam table.

"What's wrong with Miss Emily's baby?" Matthew asked.

"She has a slight fever. Colleen, can you bring me some cold water? I need to bring her temperature down." Colleen nodded and did as Michaela asked. Michaela unwrapped the baby and went about doing what she could to bring the child's temperature down.

Colleen walked into Charlotte's room at the clinic. Charlotte was sitting up reading a book. She smiled when she saw her daughter's face.

"Hey ma," Colleen greeted her, shutting the door behind her.

"How good it is to see your face," Charlotte said with a grin, her eyes twinkling with delight. "How are you, dear?"

"I'm alright. I just helped Dr. Mike bring Miss Emily's baby's fever down."

"You did?"

"Yeah. Ma, can I talk to you about somethin'?"

"Of course, darlin'." Colleen slowly walked over to sit on the edge of Charlotte's bed. Charlotte took her middle child's hands into her own. "You can tell me anything."

"I know that," Colleen replied. She swallowed and took a deep breath. "I wanna be a doctor like Dr. Mike." Charlotte's eyes widened in surprise. "I hope you ain't mad."

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Charlotte asked with a delighted chuckle.

"Well, I know you were so happy that I wanted to be an actress in plays, but I just realized it after seein' how good Dr. Mike is with people. I don't want to disappoint you."

"Child, you could never disappoint me," Charlotte replied. "I will always be proud of you. I've been proud of you since the day you were born." Charlotte brought Colleen in for a hug. When they pulled away, she brushed tears out of her daughter's eyes. "Darlin' don't cry."

"I don't want you to die, ma."

"Sweetheart, that could be months from now," Charlotte whispered. "But whenever it happens, you'll know that we'll be together again someday. Just remember that, alright?" Colleen bit her quivering bottom lip and nodded.

"Okay, ma," Colleen whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too, darlin'."

Now that everything was quiet again, Michaela could finally sit down and write out her long-awaited letter to her family. She dreaded her mother's reaction, but she also didn't care what her mother thought. She was happy and in love with Sully, and that's all that mattered.

_Dear Mother and Father,_

_As you both know, I have taken on the adventure of traveling out west to extend our medicine to those on the frontier. It took awhile, but I am finally getting patients, and I have had much success! I'm slowly gaining their trust, although many of them aren't thrilled with the idea of having a woman doctor. I know that this is a bit sudden, and I regret that I haven't been able to write since I've arrived, but I want to let you both know that I am happy and engaged to be married this coming May. _

_Father, I want to thank you for giving me the advice to be happy. Sully and I are very happy and are looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together. We would like to invite you both, along with Rebecca, Marjorie, Maureen, and Claudette, to our wedding. We will send another letter with the confirmed date once it is settled._

_I hope all is well at home, mother, and with the practice, father. Give my love to Harrison and Martha._

_Your loving daughter,_

_Michaela Quinn, M.D._

Michaela sighed heavily as she put the letter into an envelope. She left the clinic and walked over to the telegraph office. Horace was sitting at the desk looking quite irritated.

"Horace?" He looked up and smiled as best he could at the doctor. That didn't mask the frustration in his eyes.

"What can I do for ya, Dr. Mike?"

"I would like to post this letter to Boston. The address is already written on there. I just need it sent."

"Sure thing, Dr. Mike."

"Is everything alright, Horace?"

"I s'pose," he replied quietly.

"Is this about Myra?"

"How'd ya guess?"

"Because I spoke with her earlier. She honestly forgot, Horace. She feels terrible."

"Well she was sittin' with Hank the whole time. I shoulda come over and got her, but I figured that if she really wanted to come to dinner with me, she wouldn't forget."

"Maybe you should talk to her, Horace," Michaela suggested. "Thanks for posting my letter." Michaela walked out of the telegraph office and ran into Grace.

"Mornin' Dr. Mike," Grace said with a smile.

"Good morning, Grace. How are you?"

"I've been better."

"What's the matter?" The two women began to walk toward the meadow.

"It's Robert E. Ever since I got to town, he's been smilin' at me and I know he's sweet on me."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Well he hasn't made one move! He hasn't asked me to dinner or anything. Maybe I'm readin' too much into it. Maybe he doesn't really care about me." Michaela grinned a little.

"Grace, I've seen the way Robert E. looks at you. Perhaps he's just trying to find the way to let you know he cares."

"What is it with men? At least you ain't got that problem. Sully practically swept you off your feet. The most Robert E. has done is sweep around my feet when I come to visit." She and Michaela laughed together, catching the attention of Robert E. He started walking over toward them and he smiled at both of them.

"Mornin' ladies."

"Good morning, Robert E."

"Mornin'," Grace said softly.

"Grace, can I talk to you for a minute?"  
"What for?"

"I think you know."

"It's alright. I can take a hint," Michaela replied. She winked at Robert E. and walked off toward the clinic. As she was passing Jake's barbershop, she felt arms reach out to her and grab her from behind. At first, Michaela wanted to scream out, but when she felt the arms loosen around her, she turned and saw Sully standing against the side of the barbershop. He had a grin on his face and Michaela playfully slapped him on the arm. "You frightened me!"

"I just wanted to get ya alone for a minute."

"You did?" Michaela asked. She looked around to see if anyone was watching before she wrapped her arms around Sully's neck and kissed him passionately. Her heart began to pound, and she could feel Sully's pounding in sync with hers. She pulled away from him and stared into his eyes. She realized that such a display of affection in Boston would have been uncalled for because she wasn't married.

"You alright?" Sully asked as Michaela turned away, her feelings getting the better of her. She wanted to keep holding onto him; keep kissing him. She wanted to feel his breath against her skin, but her mind began to wander to other things that she wanted even more, and she knew that if she wasn't careful, she wouldn't be able to wait until her wedding night to have Sully completely and for him to have her. "Did I do somethin' I shouldn't have?"

"No," Michaela replied, turning back to face him. "But perhaps we shouldn't be kissing so much." Sully looked confused and put his hands on either side of Michaela's waist.

"If I did something, you can tell me."

"No. It isn't you. It's me." Sully took Michaela's hands and led her over to the clinic. They sat down on the bench on the porch. Michaela looked into Sully's eyes and smiled at him lovingly. "Sully, I love you so much, and I love when you hold me and kiss me. It's just that I think I love it too much." She felt her cheeks growing hot and Sully smiled knowingly.

"There's nothin' wrong with that."

"Sully, we aren't married yet," Michaela whispered. "Perhaps we should refrain from touching or kissing for awhile."

"I can't even hold your hand?"

"Well, as long as that's the extent of it." Sully sighed heavily and swallowed hard.

"Is it that important to ya?" Michaela saw the frustration in Sully's eyes, but she knew it was necessary to cool off a bit.

"Yes. Are you alright with it?"

"I can learn to be," he replied. "It's just gonna be hard not to kiss ya because you're so beautiful." Michael blushed and Sully kissed her hand. "I love you."

"I love you too." Michaela stood and swallowed hard, feeling her pulse starting to slow a bit. Sully stood and it was obvious that he was longing to kiss her, and she was longing to kiss him too. But Sully simply leaned in to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Can you take the afternoon off?"

"What?"

"I'd like to take you to the reservation to meet some of the Cheyenne. Some of the children have been feelin' bad. Maybe you could take a look at 'em."

"I'll check on Emily and the baby and Hank. Charlotte's doing fine, so as soon as I evaluate my other patients, I should be free for a couple of hours." Sully smiled.

"Good. I'll go tell them you're coming." Sully turned and walked away. Michaela wanted to follow him and have him carry her off into the mountains like she used to dream about.

"Dr. Mike!" came a voice, snapping her out of her thoughts. It was Myra running out of the clinic.

"Myra? What is it?" Michaela asked.

"Hank's wakin' up!" Michaela rushed into the clinic and up the stairs. When she reached the bartender's room, he was moaning and trying to sit up.

"Hank! You should rest."

"What happened?"

"You were shot and Jake and Loren brought you here."

"They let you cut on me?"

"The doctor saved your life," Myra pointed out.

"What the hell are you doin' here?" Hank asked. "You don't know me."

"I know I don't. But from the looks of it, you ain't got a family. I didn't want you to be alone."

"Myra's been sitting with you since you got out of surgery." Hank grumbled something under his breath directed at Dr. Mike. "Do you want me to get you something for the pain?" After a few minutes, Hank settled down and nodded. Michaela pulled out a syringe and gave him a small injection of morphine. After a moment, Hank closed his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered. Michaela looked at Myra who looked very concerned for this man. Michaela still couldn't understand how Myra could be so concerned about a man who was going to hire her to be a prostitute. But then she remembered her father. Her father had always taught her to be compassionate to all, and that's what Michaela was going to be. She didn't like to judge people at all, and if she did, she was fair and honest.

"I'll come check on him in a few hours. I'm riding out to the Indian reservation later. You'll send word if he anything?"

"I will," Myra replied with a concerned smile.

"Oh. I spoke with Horace later. I think you two should talk." Michaela left and Myra sat back down at Hank's side.

"Don't you worry, Hank. I ain't leavin' till you're better. I know what it's like to be alone and sick. It ain't fun and I ain't gonna let it happen to you."

Later that day, after Michaela checked on her other patients, she headed out of the clinic with her medical bag, filled with supplies she figured she might need on the reservation. As she was starting over to the livery to get her wagon, Horace came rushing across the street.

"Dr. Mike!"

"Horace? What is it?" Michaela asked.

"It's a telegram from Boston." Sully, who had just gotten back from the reservation, was waiting in the doctor's wagon. He noticed Michaela standing in the middle of the street as Horace walked back to the telegraph office.

"Dr. Mike?" he asked as he walked over to her. From the look on Michaela's face, whatever she was reading was bad news. Tears were in her eyes.

"Oh Sully," she whispered.

"What is it?"

"It's my father. My sister Rebecca just wired from Boston. He had a massive coronary." Sully looked at her, trying to figure out what that was. "A heart attack."

"Is he alright?"

"She says he's alright but there's no telling in the next forty eight hours."

"Do you want to go back to Boston?"  
"No. She said he doesn't want me to leave, and if I do, he'll disown me."

"That's harsh."

"He's just joking," Michaela replied with a smile. "He doesn't want me to worry, so he threatens things that he doesn't mean. He's just trying to tell me that he's going to be alright and that I should stay here. Oh, Sully, I want to go home and be with him, but so many people need me here." She began to cry and Sully pulled her close.

"Your pa's gonna be alright," he whispered. "But if you decide that you need to go to Boston, just let me know and I'll come with you." He kissed the top of her head and he felt her trembling. "C'mon. Let's get you to the clinic to lay down. We can go to the reservation another day."

"No," Michaela replied. "I think it's best if we go now. It'll keep my mind off of my father."

"You think that's best?"

"Yes. I do. If I keep busy, I won't worry as much."

"Whatever you say," Sully replied. "Come on." He led Michaela to the wagon, helped her up, and they started off toward the reservation. Sully was sure that Michaela's heart was breaking, and he wished there was something he could do to fix it. But, he knew from experience that she was going to have to get through her worry alone. If Josef did die, he knew all he could do was be there for the woman he loved. But until then, he was going to hope, for the sake of the Quinn family, that Josef pulled through and would be there to give his daughter away on her wedding day.


	3. The Reservation

**Chapter 3: The Reservation**

"Is he going to be alright?" the Indian woman asked as Michaela gave a young boy a spoonful of medicine. Michaela smiled and nodded.

"The children are all ill because they ate some bad beef. I've given them something that will ease their discomfort, but it should pass. Did any of the older children or the adults eat this meat?"

"No. There was little meat, so it was spared for the children."

"The meat was diseased. They should all be fine, but if there are any other problems, I'll try something else."

"Thank you. Cloud Dancing told me you were a good doctor."

"Cloud Dancing was my best patient," Michaela replied with a smile as she and Snow Bird walked along. "Your husband is a very kind man."  
"Yes, but he can be very foolish. He follows his heart, and that's why I love him." Michaela smiled.

"We all can." Snow Bird noticed something in Michaela's eyes.

"You are troubled." Michaela looked at Cloud Dancing's wife and nodded.

"Yes. My father is sick, and he doesn't want me to go to Boston. He's sure he's going to be fine, but I'm not so sure."

"Do you want to go back home?"

"No, but I would go for his sake."

"Cloud Dancing tells me your father is a medicine man."  
"Yes. He's the reason I wanted to become a doctor."

"He is very wise?"

"Yes. He's the smartest man I know."

"If he is sure he will survive, he is right."

"But he's stubborn. He never likes to admit when he's sick or hurting."

"That sounds like my Cloud Dancing," Snow Bird replied with a smile. "I'm sure your father will be fine."  
"I hope so. I want him to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day."

"I'm sure he will," Snow Bird replied with a smile. She walked off and Michaela stared after her as she joined Cloud Dancing. She adored the way Cloud Dancing looked into his wife's eyes and kissed her in greeting. She was pleased when she felt Sully's strong arms wrap around her waist from behind. She leaned into him and he held her close and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Are you feelin' any better?"

"A bit," Michaela admitted. "Snow Bird spoke with me."

"That's good. How are the kids?"

"They all have some form of food poisoning, but I gave them something for it. They should be fine."

"That's good," Sully replied. "Thanks for comin' out here with me today."

"Whenever they need me, I'll be out here as soon as I can. I want to help everyone that I can possibly help." Sully smiled and nodded at her.

"I know ya do. That's part of the reason I fell in love with ya." Michaela wanted to feel wonderful as Sully pulled her into his arms to hold her and let her know that everything was going to be alright. But fear for her father's life kept her from focusing on Sully. She pulled away.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, swallowing hard. "I need to get back into town."

"Alright, I'll ride with ya."

"No, I'd kind of like to be alone for awhile. I just need to think about some things."

"Alright," Sully replied, feeling a bit hurt, but realizing that Michaela needed time because she was worried about her father. He figured she thought she wouldn't be much company with only that on her mind.

"Thank you for understanding," Michaela whispered. Sully nodded and turned away, wanting to kiss her and take her to a place where all she could feel was happiness. But, he knew that it was 'against the rules.' Michaela stared after him for a few moments before turning to walk over to her wagon and head back into town.

Michaela walked into Hank's room to find him sitting up, trying to put his boots on.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I need to get back to work."

"Jake and Loren are looking after the saloon."

"Even more reason why I need to get back to work," Hank replied. He winced in pain and took a sip of whiskey from a bottle.

"Hank! How did you get that in here?"  
"One of my girls did me a favor while I had Myra go get me somethin' to eat." Michaela cringed and pulled the whiskey bottle out of Hank's hands. "What the hell do you think you're doin'?" He stood and stumbled a bit.

"There will be no drinking in my clinic."

"Whatever you say, doc," Hank replied with a smirk. "I'm goin' back to work."

"You aren't ready yet," Michaela warned. Jake walked into the room and saw Hank and Michaela facing each other.

"What's goin' on?"

"The doc's tryin' to tell me that I can't go back to work." Michaela turned to Jake.

"He's supposed to be resting. If his stitches rip, he'll start to bleed, and I'll have to sew him up again. Jake looked at Hank and nodded. "The doc's right. I'd be happy to sew ya up again, but you got a pretty deep hole in ya. Why don't ya listen to her? Loren and me are takin' care of the saloon."

"That's what I'm worried about," Hank mumbled.

"Don't worry. We ain't chargin' nothing less and we ain't stealin' drinks. In fact, we're chargin' a penny extra for whiskey."

"You better not be lyin' or you'll be hearin' from me." Jake smirked and walked out of the room. Michaela turned back to Hank.

"Will you rest just a couple more days? That'll give it sufficient time to start healing."

"I s'pose a couple more days won't hurt nothin'."

"Good," Michaela replied with a pleased smile. Hank laid back down while Michaela went across the hall to check on Emily and the baby. She noticed that the door was open so she walked right in. Emily was sitting in a rocking chair with the baby in her arms. The color had come back to her face and the baby seemed to be healthy as well.

"How are you feeling?" Michaela asked.

"Wonderful, Dr. Mike," Emily replied with a smile. "Ya think the baby and I can go home today?"

"I don't see why not, but I want to check your stitches and examine the baby. Will you come downstairs with me?"

"Sure," Emily replied. "My husband's getting the baby's cradle ready with our son. They can't wait for us to come home."

"I'm sure they're missing you," Michaela replied with a grin. "Come along." Emily followed Dr. Mike with the baby in her arms, walking slowly but surely, happy to finally be able to go home.

Loren was sweeping the floors at the mercantile when Brian came running in.

"Mr. Bray!"

"What's wrong, boy?"

"There's a lady here who says she knows you. She's outside! Come on!" Brian took Loren's hand and led him outside. "Sorry, I gotta go fishin' though! I'll talk to you later, Mr. Bray!" Brian ran off and Loren looked at the woman Brian had been talking about. He was surprised to see his late wife's sister Dorothy.

"Dorothy?!"

"Hello Loren," she said with a slight smile.

"What on earth are you doin' here?"

"Aren't you glad to see me?"

"'Course I am. But why ain't ya home with Marcus?"

"Because Marcus is dead," Dorothy replied quietly.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," Loren replied.

"Well, I ain't so sorry. He got himself drunk, lost a poker game, and was a sore loser. He ended up getting himself shot, and I had to hear about it from the bartender the next day." He noticed a bruise on her left eye.

"Did he hit you?"

"It ain't important. He's gone now and I ain't gonna get hurt again." She swallowed hard and she was fighting off the choking feeling in her throat.

"Well, why'd ya come here?"

"Because you're the only family I know. My kids are all over the place now, I ain't heard from 'em in years."

"Well, the Cooper kids are stayin' with me for awhile, but I have another spare room."

"Thank ya, Loren. The Cooper kids? You mean Charlotte and Ethan are still here?"

"Well, Charlotte's here. We call her the Widow Cooper now."

"Oh no! Ethan's dead?!"

"No. That low-life ran off with her money and left the farm to her. She moved into the boardin' house across from the saloon. But that's a clinic now, and the doc's lettin' her stay there."

"Why on earth is she stayin' at a clinic?"

"She's dyin' Dorothy," Loren replied. Dorothy's eyes went wide.

"No! She can't be! She's my friend." Tears formed in the woman's eyes.

"You can go sit with her. I'm sure she'd like the company." Dorothy nodded and hugged Loren.

"Thank you for lettin' me stay here."

"It's no trouble," Loren replied. Dorothy turned and started off for the clinic as Loren watched after the woman he once loved and asked to marry. He had loved Maude, but Dorothy was his first true love. And now he was watching her walk away like she had done all those years ago when he asked for her hand in marriage. But this was different. This time she was coming back.

Michaela had just sent Emily and her baby girl home. Both of them were in excellent health, and there was nothing more that Michaela needed to do for them. Hank was resting upstairs, and the children had just gone out fishing, an order from their mother. She was worried about them staying cooped up inside all of the time, and she wanted them to have some fun.

The door opened and Michaela looked up to see a pretty redheaded middle-aged woman walking into the clinic. The first thing she noticed was the bluish-black ring around the woman's left eye.

"Good afternoon. May I help you?" Michaela asked.

"Yes, I was told this was a clinic. May I speak to the doctor?" Michaela smiled and stood up.

"Certainly."

"Where is he?"

"_She_ is right here." Dorothy's eyes widened in realization.

"You're the doctor?!"

"Yes I am. Is there something you'd like? I can give you something to help take away the swelling on your eye." Dorothy's hand went to touch the sensitive area.

"Maybe later," she replied. "I'm here to see Charlotte Cooper. She was my friend, and I just got back to town. I'm Dorothy Jennings, Loren Bray's sister-in-law. Well, at least I used to be." Dorothy smiled weakly and held a hand out to Michaela. Michaela took it and shook it. She smiled.

"I'm Dr. Michaela Quinn. Everyone around here calls me Dr. Mike."

"Do you mind if I call you Michaela? It suits you?" Michaela's eyes lit up.

"I don't mind."

"Good," Dorothy replied with a smile. "Do you mind if I go surprise Charlotte?"

"Go on up. She may be resting, but I'm sure she'd be happy to see you."

"Thank you," Dorothy replied with a nod. She opened the door that led upstairs and closed it behind her. Michaela sighed heavily and started thinking about her father again when the door opened. Horace came in quickly with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Horace? What is it?"

"Good news from Boston. Your pa's alright."

"What?!" Michaela asked with hope filling her heart. Horace handed the paper to Michaela and smiled at her.

"I've gotta get back to the telegraph, but I wanted to bring ya the news personally."

"Thank you, Horace," Michaela replied, reading over the note. Horace nodded and left. Michaela read the words from her sister Rebecca. The note told her that Josef's condition was improving rapidly and that he was back to his old self. Michaela was delighted, and she couldn't wait to send a telegraph back to express her relief. She left the clinic and started over to the telegraph office. She was just about to turn the corner when she ran right into Sully.

"Oh!" Michaela exclaimed.

"You okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine. You just startled me." Michaela looked up into Sully's eyes and felt a blush starting to creep over her face. Every time she saw him, inappropriate thoughts would overcome her every waking moments.

"Where were ya goin' in such a hurry?"

"Oh!" Michaela exclaimed. "I almost forgot! Rebecca just sent a telegraph, and my father's getting better!"

"That's great!" Sully replied with a grin. He pulled Michaela into a hug, and felt the urge to kiss her. She was also expecting to kiss, but Sully pulled away after their hug. "I thought you wanted some time alone."

"I did. I just didn't expect to run into you," Michaela relied. "Now that you're here, would you like to join me for lunch?"

"Where?"

"Well, Grace and I were talking earlier, and I believe she's thinking of opening a café. She has some money from her job with Loren's sister, so I'm going to assume that she's got enough to open a café. She's invited me over for a picnic lunch to discuss it, so would you like to join me?"

"I'd like to," Sully replied with a sigh, "but I have to go check my traps. I shoulda done that a couple days ago."

"Well, maybe some other time then," Michaela replied.

"I better go. I'm gonna be gone for a couple of days."

"Days?" Michaela asked. She swallowed hard. The thought of not being in Sully's arms for days was starting to get to her. She was already starting to regret suggesting cooling their relationship off a bit. She didn't care at the moment, and she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. "I'll miss you."

"I'll be back before ya know it." Michaela looked into Sully's beautiful blue eyes and pressed her lips against his.

"Come back safe?"

"I will," he replied. He kissed her forehead and breathed in the scent of her hair. He knew that scent was going to keep him awake at night. He wanted to taste her, touch her, and smell that wonderful scent of the soap she used. His dreams were already filled with thoughts of her, but if he had that scent on his mind, he would never be able to fall asleep.

"I love you," she whispered, softly caressing his cheek with her fingers.

"I love you," he answered rubbing her shoulders softly. "Like I said, I'll be back before ya know it." He kissed her cheek and turned to walk off. Michaela stared after him, watching Wolf follow behind him as they disappeared into the woods.

"Come in," Charlotte called as she heard the knock at her door. She figured that it was the Reverend or Myra coming to visit her. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the friend she hadn't seen since before Brian was born. She had only gotten to tell her friend about the boy after he was born in a letter. But she had never gotten a reply back, and that had always concerned her.

"You up for a visitor?"

"Dorothy!"

"Hello Charlotte," Dorothy said with a grin. Dorothy hurried in and shut the door behind her. She went to her friend's bedside and gave her a hug.

"It's been too long, Dorothy," Charlotte said with a sigh.

"I know. I'm sorry I never responded to your letter. Marcus had us moving a few times, and by the time I had time to write, well, my arm was broken."

"Oh?"

"It's not important anyway. I'm sorry I never wrote you back."

"It's alright. Boy, you have to see the children. Matthew is fifteen now and Colleen's twelve. My boy Brian is a handsome little man."

"I'll have to meet him."

"Maybe you have. He was going over to Mr. Bray's store to look at the candy before he went fishing with the other two. He's got blonde hair and he's still small."

"Oh! That was Brian! He practically dragged Loren out of the store to come see me."

"Yeah, that's my son," Charlotte replied with a smile.

"How are you feeling?" Dorothy asked.

"Better," Charlotte replied. "But every day is hard. I know I ain't gonna be around to see my children grow up. I've been makin' plans for 'em after I'm gone."

"Charlotte, if you need a place for them to stay, I'd be happy to watch over 'em."

"Oh no, I've already asked Dr. Mike."

"Oh?"

"Well, she's got a home and she's gonna get married. They'll have a family, and they already love her. I wouldn't want to trouble you."

"Well, they'd be no trouble, but I think you're right in choosin' Michaela for them. Besides, I'll be stayin' with Loren. Don't think there'd be enough room for 'em anyway." She and Charlotte smiled at one another. Dorothy took her friend's hand. "I wish I'd have know you were sick. I woulda been here sooner."

"You bein' here now is what matters," Charlotte pointed out. For the next couple of hours, Charlotte and Dorothy caught up on what they had been missing from each other's lives. Charlotte beamed about her children while Dorothy told her friend about what Marcus had put her through and how her children weren't in her life anymore. Charlotte was happy to have her old friend back while Dorothy was just happy to have a friend.

That evening, Michaela was sitting at her kitchen table in her quiet little house. She felt so lonely, especially as the night grew colder. She found herself staring into the fire with a cup of tea in her hand, thinking about Sully.

She stood from the table and walked over to sit in a rocking chair near the fire. The chair had been there since she moved in, and she realized that Abagail had probably sat in that very spot, rubbing her swollen belly, dreaming of the future she thought she would have with her unborn daughter and Sully.

Michaela sighed heavily and walked over to look out the window. The moon was full and high in the sky. She could hear coyotes howling outside, but the only sound inside was her own breathing and the crackling of the fire. She wanted to hear the pitter-patter of little feet, the laughter of children, and the cries of babies. She wanted to feel the arms of the man she loved wrap around her to keep away the chill. She wanted to share her bed with her husband and wake in the middle of the night to feed her babies. She couldn't wait to have all of that with Sully.

She found herself worrying about him, wondering if he was alright. She was suddenly overcome with the great urge to find him and make sure he wasn't hurt. She felt something deep within her heart, and something didn't feel right. She was suddenly imagining him hurt or sick, and she couldn't have that. She had to find him. She didn't know where he was, but she was going to start out by going to his lean to. From there, she'd figure out where he had his traps set, and she was going to find him. She had to make sure he was safe and see for herself.

Michaela threw some things into a small pack and grabbed her coat. She put it on and put the pack over her shoulder, grabbed her medical bag, and headed out the door, hoping that the feeling she was getting was nothing, because if anything had happened to Sully, she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it.

Wolf barked as his master lay at the bottom of a steep hill. Only he had seen the men who had attacked Sully from behind, robbed him of the furs from his traps, and ran off, leaving unconscious out in the middle of nowhere.

For a moment, Sully came to, hearing the barks of his faithful dog, and he sat up, screaming out in pain. He pulled a handkerchief from his coat. He called Wolf over and held it in front of his nose. Sully had been meaning to give the handkerchief back to Michaela, because she had left it with him by accident the night he proposed. It still had her sweet scent on it, so he hoped that Wolf could get to Michaela in time. Blood was coming from a gash on the back of his head, and he wasn't sure how much time he had before he bled to death.

"Find Michaela," Sully whispered as the dog took another scent of the handkerchief. Wolf barked and ran off in search of the woman Sully loved. Sully fell back into the grass again, and before he fell unconscious again, he whispered, "Michaela."


	4. The Search

**Chapter 4: The Search**

Michaela pulled her coat tighter around herself and made sure her buttons were done up properly. The wind was chilling her right to the bone, but she couldn't help but worry that something horrible had happened to Sully.

The leaves, which normally fluttered softly to the ground in the fall, were being blown in every direction by the fierce biting wind. Michaela had to shield her eyes sometimes in order to keep the leaves from temporarily impairing her vision.

She was on foot, knowing by now that horses didn't like riding in the woods at night, especially on eerie nights like this. A horse could spook at the tiniest noise when the woods were this dark and cold.

"Sully!" Michaela called out, hearing her own voice echoing through the looming trees. She heard the howling of a wolf, and for a fleeting moment, she thought it could have been Sully's wolf. After awhile, Michaela came to Sully's lean-to, hoping that he might be sleeping there. But she had no such luck. However, the wind was picking up, and Michaela knew that she couldn't continue like this. She figured it would be best for her to sleep there that night, wake early, and continue her search in the morning. She hoped that maybe she was scared for him, and that everything was alright. After all, Sully had been living out in the woods for years. It wasn't like he didn't know what he was doing.

Michaela sighed and pulled one of Sully's blankets around her shoulders as she settled under the lean to. She laid down and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. Sully's blankets had his scent on them, and Michaela could only imagine what it would be like to sleep nestled up against him every night in their very own bed.

She could almost feel his lips on her neck, and her flesh tingled from the thought of him. If just one thought of him could send those thrilling sparks throughout her body, what would it feel like when he actually was holding her and kissing her. She had wondered what it was like to make love since the time she started learning about what happened between a man and a woman. She knew that not everything she had to learn came from a book. She had never thought about making love with anyone until she met Sully. She had always wondered what it was like, but she never dreamed of being with Sully like that. Now, most of her dreams were filled with romantic fantasies involving herself and Sully.

He was the only man who had ever sent a pounding lust to her very core and sent erotic chills up and down her spine all at the same time. Every time he would walk into the room, she could smell his scent and it would make her knees go weak.

Michaela could feel her heart beginning to pound and her breathing growing faster. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard, closing her eyes and trying not to think about what her honeymoon night was going to be like. She also knew that she was going to have to keep her distance from Sully before they were married, at least in the physical sense. Maybe cooling the relationship off wasn't what they needed. Perhaps she was going to have to stop thinking about him completely. No. That was no good. None of it seemed like an easy way to avoid things going too far before they were married.

The truth was that she didn't want to take things easy. She wanted to act on her feelings as far as she could without doing something she was going to regret. Making love was something she wanted to save for marriage, but kissing shouldn't be saved, should it? There was nothing wrong with it as long as both she and Sully agreed to stop things if they were starting to heat up too quickly.

Just thinking about the ways to avoid too much intimacy was stirring feelings up inside of Michaela that she never knew she had. She closed her eyes and shook her head. She felt foolish, but at the same time, she felt liberated for having feelings like these all to herself.

Michaela finally drifted off into a deep sleep, but this time not dreaming up erotic fantasies. This time her sleep was filled with nightmares of what could have happened to Sully. Each of these nightmares frightened her to her very core, and she felt as if she would never wake from her subconscious prison.

Myra sat up in her bed above the clinic, reading a book she had brought with her from home. She was determined to find a job to send money to her little sister in St. Louis. She had been reading books about women with different jobs, but she didn't feel like she could qualify for any of them. The only thing she knew was that she couldn't work for Hank.

Horace was also on Myra's mind. Earlier that evening she had gone to talk with him about not joining him for dinner the other night, and he seemed to understand. She promised to make it up to him by having a picnic the next day. Horace seemed happy about that, and now that night had settled in, Myra wasn't sure what she was doing. She already knew that she cared for Horace, but it seemed as if he was expecting too much. He didn't even know her and he was already smitten with her. But perhaps that was what was so sweet about him.

Myra found herself smiling at thoughts of Horace, and was surprised when a knock came to the door. Who could it be, and how could they have gotten into the clinic unless it was Dr. Mike?

"Who is it?"

"It's me," came a rough voice that startled her. She got out of bed and pulled a robe on, tying it tightly around her. She walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hank? What are you doin' this late at night?"

"The doc left some extra bandages and told me that if I needed to, I could change 'em myself because all I gotta do is wrap 'em around. But I tried and the pain was real bad. I thought my stitches would come out. You think you can help me?"

"Sure," Myra replied slowly. "Come sit." Hank walked over to sit on Myra's bed beside the oil lamp. He slowly took his shirt off and Myra helped him remove his old bandage, taking a mental picture of what the bandages looked like and how they were tied up. She went to work at re-bandaging him, and she could feel his eyes staring at her as she did so. She looked up and was surprised that she didn't see a cruel, womanizing man, but a man who was vulnerable and who had a heart. "All done." She pulled her hands away and handed him his shirt.

"Nice work," he said with a grin.

"Well, I ain't no doctor, but I figured I could handle a couple bandages."

"You're pretty good with your hands. I'm sure you'd make a lot of money workin' for me." Myra scoffed, knowing that the look in his eyes was fake. She knew that he wasn't the vulnerable man she thought he was for one fleeting moment.

"Get out of my room," she said angrily. Hank smirked at her.

"You're the one who didn't ask what the job was. You agreed to come to Colorado Springs and sign a contract."

"That was before I knew what that contract was! I was desperate to have a job that I didn't stop to think about what I was getting myself into. Now please leave my room. It's late and you shouldn't be in here right now anyway." Hank just shook his head and smirked.

"You need to loosen up, Myra. You're just as uptight as the doc." Hank left the room and Myra sat on the edge of her bed, frustrated with how Hank had just treated her. Was he really that bitter and crude underneath the surface? Myra knew that the man was slime, but she wondered if he could change, and if he was capable of being a decent human being.

The sun woke Michaela, bathing her face in a warm glow. She realized that she had overslept, and she hoped that she could find Sully soon. She stood up and put the blanket to the side, being greeted by a cool breeze. She shivered and stuck her hands in her coat pocket. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Sully, please be alright. God, please let him be alright." She started off in a direction she could only hope that Sully had traveled in. She had no idea of knowing if he was even out there. Perhaps he had decided not to travel the night before. Maybe he had stopped by the homestead. What if he had come to look for her? She had no way of knowing, but she still had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She stumbled and fell onto a sharp rock, cutting her knee. She hissed in pain as she sat up and pulled her skirt up. She winced as the chilly air hit her wound. The cut wasn't too deep, and it wouldn't need stitches, but she was still glad that she brought her medical bag. She disinfected the wound and wrapped it tightly to stop the bleeding. As soon as she had finished, she stood and started on her way again.

"Sully!" she called. "Sully are you there?! Answer me!" The wind started to pick up and Michaela sighed heavily. But when that wind started to pick up, she heard the familiar barks of Wolf. It had to be Wolf! She couldn't think otherwise. She had to go with her gut instinct. "Wolf! Wolf! Here boy!" After a few more calls, Wolf bounded into sight. He stopped when he found Dr. Mike. She knelt, forgetting her pain for a moment, and patted the dog's head. "Good boy! Take me to Sully!" She got up and felt the pain throbbing in her knee, but despite the pain, she hurried after Wolf with her medical bag in hand. She had to find Sully, and she now knew that her suspicions were correct about him. He was hurt, and that's why Wolf was out alone. She only hoped the injuries weren't too serious. She couldn't bear to think what would happen if she lost him.

In town, Charlotte was sitting up in bed, feeling well enough to knit. Dorothy had brought her some supplies, and she was sitting with her, along with the children. Brian was playing with some old woodcarvings that Sully had made for him. Matthew was watching his brother, sister, and mother protectively, feeling that he was in charge because he was the man of the house, and Colleen was knitting with her mother and Dorothy.

"Ma, why do ya think Dr. Mike didn't make it into town this mornin'?" Colleen asked worriedly.

"Maybe she had to check on a patient."

"She doesn't have that many patients yet, ma," Matthew pointed out.

"Maybe she stopped alongside the road to help her out."

"I'm sure Michaela is fine," Dorothy replied with a confident smile. Matthew felt something was wrong and he shook his head, standing up.

"Matthew?" Charlotte asked.

"I gotta go look for her. I'll take the road she takes to work and check the homestead. If she ain't there, I'll get a search party together."

"Can I go?" Brian asked.

"Sorry little brother. It ain't safe out there."

"Then you shouldn't be goin' either," Charlotte scolded.

"Somebody's gotta go out there and find her!"

"I agree, but you ain't goin' alone!"

"I'll get a posse together. We can't leave her out there, ma."

"I know, Matthew. Have Mr. Slicker and Robert E. go with you."

"I ain't gonna guarantee that Jake'll go, but I can try." Matthew left the clinic and ran into Robert E. outside.

"Whoa, Matthew, where's the fire?" Robert E. asked, noticing the young man's hurry.

"I think Dr. Mike's been hurt. She ain't in town yet, and she's usually here right after dawn."

"You want me to come look for her with ya?"

"If ya don't mind."

"Let me go saddle up some horses. Who else is goin'?"

"I'm gonna try to get Jake and Horace."

"Alright. I'll saddle four up and we'll get goin'."

"Thank ya." Matthew walked over to the barbershop and knocked on the door.

"What can I do for ya, Matthew?"

"I'm getting' a posse together."

"For what? We ain't found the guy who shot Hank. He's long gone."

"Dr. Mike's not in town yet."

"So? Maybe she decided to give up and go back to Boston," Jake said with a laugh.

"It ain't funny, Jake! She's usually in town before now. Me and Robert E. are goin' out to the homestead to check on her. If she ain't there or on the road into town, we're gonna go lookin' for her."

"Well, I guess I can close up for a few hours. Business is slow today anyway."

"Thanks. Robert E.'s saddlin' the horses over at the livery." Matthew hurried over to the telegraph office where Horace was sorting through the mail. He looked frustrated.

"Mornin' Matthew."

"Mornin' Horace. Everything alright?"

"The telegraph's busted, and it won't be workin' till somebody comes in from Denver to look at it."

"Maybe that's a good thing."

"How could ya say that?"

"Dr. Mike ain't in town yet, and I'm getting a posse together to go look for her. Can you do it?"

"Sure thing, Matthew," Horace replied. Matthew shook his hand, and Horace closed up the office before they headed over to the livery.

Michaela felt as if she had been jogging after Wolf for hours, but as soon as they began to go uphill, she realized that Wolf knew what he was doing. He stopped at the top of the hill and waited for her to catch up. As soon as she had, she looked down and saw Sully lying at the bottom on the other side.

"Sully!" she screamed. She saw him move, and was thankful that he was alive. She hurried down the hill, being careful not to trip or get caught up in anything. As soon as she reached his side, she sunk down and sat next to him. She pulled his head into her lap and stroked the hair out of his face. "Oh Sully." She began to cry and she felt blood on her hand. It wasn't a lot of blood, but she knew he had a wound that had probably begun to heal overnight.

Sully slowly opened his eyes and he saw Michaela, wondering for a moment if she was an angel.

"Michaela," he whispered. "Is it really you?" He had had several dreams the night before that Michaela had come to find him, but all of them had been dreams. He had to pinch himself to make sure it was reality. "You're really here?"  
"Yes, I'm here," she whispered, wiping tears out of her eyes. "I knew something was wrong. I could feel it, Sully."

"Wolf found ya?" Wolf ran down the hill and sat at his master's side.

"Yes, he did," Michaela whispered.

"Good boy," Sully replied to his wolf.

"Can you sit up?" Michaela asked. Sully did as Michaela had asked, and she examined the back of his head. "You're luck. That gash isn't deep enough to need stitches, but it's going to need proper cleansing and bandaging. She pulled some antiseptic out of her medical bag.

"Do what ya gotta do," Sully replied softly.

"This will sting."

"I can take it," Sully replied. Michaela swallowed hard and applied the disinfectant to his wound. Sully bit his lip to keep from yelling out. Michaela finally applied a bandage, wrapping a layer of bandages around his head. She pulled a few loose strands of hair that had gotten tucked under the bandages, and ran her hands along Sully's cheek.

"I'm so glad I found you," she whispered. She looked up and saw the clouds were starting to roll in, and they weren't the big white fluffy ones. These were dark and ominous. "A storm is coming in."

"It'll pass. The clouds are rollin' in to fast," Sully replied. He felt dizzy again, so he rested his head in Michaela's lap again, looking up into her eyes. Tears were still falling, and he reached up to brush them away. "There ain't no need to cry."

"I'm just so glad that I found you," she replied. "Sully, I was sitting at the homestead last night, and I got this feeling inside of me that you were hurt. I had to come find you."

"You've been out all night?" Michaela nodded slowly.

"I stayed at the lean-to."

"Good," Sully replied with a nod. "Are ya cold?"

"A little," she replied. "But we can keep each other warm. Sully sat up a little, and he and Michaela leaned on each other, pulling their arms around each other. They huddled liked that as the wind beat at their backs. Sully noticed Michaela wincing.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I just hurt my knee. It isn't serious."

"You sure?"

"I'm more worried about you. I want to get you back into town as soon as you feel well enough to travel."

"Let's wait out the wind," Sully suggested. Michaela nodded and she and Sully looked into each other's eyes.

"I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you," she whispered, the tears beginning to well up again. "All I could dream about last night was . . . oh Sully! How did this happen?"

"I think I was hit from behind. I know I was robbed," he replied softly. "But there's no need to worry. You ain't gonna lose me. I love ya too much. I'll always come back for you." Michaela couldn't stand it any longer. She wrapped her arms around Sully's neck, and he wrapped his arms around her. They kissed with such a passion, the longing they felt for each other was made clear in each other's touches and kisses. Their kisses warmed them up quickly, and they didn't want to break apart. But Sully pulled away long enough to rest his forehead against Michaela's. "I was startin' to think I'd never see ya again."

"You'll never lose me either," she promised. "I love you so much."  
"I love you too," he whispered. They kissed again, and Sully's hands caressed his love's back, sending those chills up her spine again. But she didn't mind now. She knew they could control themselves if they needed to.

"I feel foolish for saying this, but I'm sorry I wanted time to myself. Sully, if I hadn't said this, you wouldn't be hurt right now."

"It ain't your fault," Sully replied.

"Well, I'm telling you now that I don't want to ever have to come looking for you again, Sully. I don't want to have to worry that you're hurt or worse."

"You won't have to," Sully replied, taking Michaela's hands into his own. "All I care about is us bein' together for the rest of our lives. We're gonna get married, and if you need time to yourself, I can let ya have it."

"That's just it Sully. I don't want time to myself. I know I should probably take it, but yesterday was torture. I don't like having to think about you all day. I'd rather have you there with me because it's a lot better than dreaming about you. Having you around makes me feel better; makes me happier. I love you."

"I love you," he replied with a smile. "Are ya sayin' we can go back to kissin' and touchin'?" he asked. Michaela blushed and looked down. She took a deep breath and looked back up, staring in the Sully's eyes. Without a word, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips.


	5. Rescue Me

**Chapter 5: Rescue Me**

Sully pulled back and enfolded Michaela into a hug. They held each other for the longest time, hearing and feeling nothing but the beating of each other's hearts. Michaela's breathing was returning to normal, and when she and Sully pulled away from one another, she ran her fingers through her hair and blushed wildly.

"Perhaps we should get you back to town."

"Maybe that's a good idea," Sully agreed. Michaela stood and limped a bit on her sore knee. Sully stood slowly and stood still for a moment until his dizziness passed.

"Are you feeling up to going back?"

"Yeah," he answered. "As long as you are."

"I'm fine," she replied. "We'll help each other." Sully wrapped one arm around Michaela's waist and she wrapped an arm around his as they started back up the hill, slowly and painfully.

"We're about a half-day's walk from town," Sully explained. "It's gonna take us even longer with that hurt knee of yours."

"I'll be alright."

"I don't want ya hurtin' yourself even more. We'll take it easy. If we have to, we'll sleep at the lean to tonight."

"Alone?" Michaela asked abruptly. "Together?"

"Well, we gotta sleep somewhere. We might as well stay together to be safe."

"Oh, right," Michaela replied, not believing that she was actually having flashes of her fantasies at a moment like that. She bit her bottom lip, partially because she was in pain, but mostly because she was nervous about what the night would bring.

"You sure you're alright?" Sully asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Of course I'm alright," she answered as casually as she possibly could. They walked in silence, clinging to one another, afraid to let go for fear of losing each other again. Wolf was ahead, making sure that danger wasn't lurking. Michaela could feel the pain in her knee throbbing, but she didn't want to stop. She wanted to get back home as soon as she could. She hoped to be sleeping in her own bed within the next day.

She looked over at Sully who seemed to be doing fine. She was still concerned about the wound on the back of his head, but she hadn't noticed any swelling. She was going to keep a close eye on him, however, because she was extremely worried that something was going to go wrong.

Sully noticed Michaela watching him, and he knew what she was doing.

"Don't worry 'bout me," he warned. "I'm fine. You just worry about that knee of yours."

"Your head is a bit more important that my knee," Michaela replied as they finally reached the top of the hill. She took a deep breath. "There. Now it's just down this side and we're on pretty flat territory."

"You're learnin' your way around, huh?"

"I had to. I had to find you," Michaela replied.

"I'm glad ya did," Sully replied with a smile. Michaela smiled back and they held each other closer and tighter as they steadied themselves down the hill. It seemed to take forever to get to flat land, but they managed to do so within five minutes. The pressure Michaela was feeling in her knee wasn't as bad when she didn't have to walk up or down a hill.

Sully's head was starting to throb in the back where his wound was, but he didn't want to say anything to concern Michaela. He knew that he had just gotten one hell of a headache and it would go away. Perhaps he'd ask Michaela for something to get rid of the pain when they got back to town.

"How are you feeling?" Michaela asked after awhile of walking in the woods.

"I'm alright. I just can't wait to get to the lean to."

"It'll probably be another hour or two of walking," Michaela replied with a sigh.

"Well, at least the company I've got is good." Michaela grinned up at him and then winced in pain as she felt the scab on her wound bust open. "Ow!" She lowered herself to the ground and Sully knelt down beside her. She lifted her skirt above her knee and revealed her bandage. The blood was coming through, and she knew she didn't have many bandages left.

"I better change these before we continue on," Michaela pointed out. Sully nodded and watched Michaela open her medical bag. He couldn't help but gaze at her long, smooth, silky leg that was paler than her face from being secluded from the sunlight. She looked like a porcelain doll underneath those heavy dresses, and he found himself desiring to see what the rest of her looked like.

Michaela didn't noticed Sully's admiration of her beautiful pale skin as she worked at replacing the bandages. She dabbed a bit of antiseptic onto her skin and hissed at its sting. Sully smiled at her vulnerability. As she was rummaging through her medical bag, she was trying to ignore the throbbing pain from her knee. Sully leaned over and gently blew onto her wound as someone would do for a child with a scraped knee. He felt the intense urge to tell her she was all better, but when he saw the look in her eyes, he saw the same desire in her that he was feeling.

Before either one of them could think, they were being pulled together by a source that was stronger than both of them combined. Their lips met and their tongues danced together in a rhythm as old as time. The pain both of them were feeling was gone, temporarily eased by this sudden burst of energy. They were in the woods, secluded from the entire world, and they had an incredible desire to be with one another. They both knew it shouldn't happen yet, but it was an uncontrollable force bringing them together.

Michaela leaned onto her back and Sully crawled over her, placing kisses on her neck and her collarbone. He wanted so badly to see the beautiful skin underneath of her clothes that had never been touched by another man's hands before. It was thrilling to know that he was the only man Michaela had ever gotten this close to, and that made his desire for her grow even stronger. Michaela could feel his desire against her thigh, and she gasped for breath.

"We shouldn't be doing this," she whispered in a ragged breath. Her head was screaming at her to stop, but her body was strongly suggestion that she let her thoughts stop for one moment. Sully's hands hadn't roamed anywhere new yet, but he was about to reach for the buttons on her blouse when reality came back with Wolf's barking.

Sully pulled back, realizing what was about to happen. She sat up and helped Michaela sit. Her face was flushed from both embarrassment and from passion. She found herself craving more of Sully's touch, but she knew that it wasn't right.

"I'm sorry 'bout that." Wolf was still barking, but Sully soon saw that he was barking at a rabbit. He ran off to chase it and Michaela and Sully both collapsed in each other's arms, laughing almost uncontrollably.

"Saved by the wolf, huh?" Michaela asked. Sully laughed a little, despite the pain that was coming back to his head. Michaela's heart was still pounding, and she felt as if it was going to pound right out of her chest. She swallowed hard and proceeded to finish re-bandaging her knee. Sully looked away, trying to hide the embarrassment he felt for letting his passion become physically aware to Michaela and himself. But, he knew that with her knowledge of the human body, she would understand.

"I'm really sorry, Dr. Mike."

"Why is it that when we're not kissing or hugging, I'm Dr. Mike. But when we are, I'm Michaela."

"I dunno," Sully replied. "I s'pose that Michaela's a name I'd rather use when we're bein' romantic. It doesn't seem right to be callin' the woman you love Dr. Mike when you're dancin' or cuddlin'." Michaela bit her lip and giggled a little. Sully laughed and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I ain't leavin' ya if that's what you're askin'. I'm just stretchin'." Michaela smiled up at him and she bit her lip, remembering every feeling she had just experienced with Sully. She found herself not being able to concentrate on tying the bandage up to keep it in place. Sully noticed this, so he knelt down and tied the knot for her. "You looked like your mind was in another place for a minute."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's just that . . ."

"Shh," he answered, putting his fingers against her lips. "No need to apologize." Michaela blushed again and Sully helped her stand. "You okay to walk?"

"Yes," she breathed, staring into his eyes. She wanted to kiss him, but she knew where that got them the last time. So, they continued on in silence, holding onto each other for support.

"I ain't seen any sign of 'em," Horace said with an exasperated sigh, taking his hat off to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"We checked the homestead, the road, and even back in town," Jake pointed out.

"We ain't givin' up wither," Matthew replied.

"I'm with Matthew," Robert E. replied.

"I ain't sayin' we're givin' up. But maybe somebody needs to go back to town to update your little brother and sister," Jake replied. Matthew shook his head.

"Ain't no need to scare 'em. They're already worried enough about our ma as it is. They don't need to think the worst has happened to Dr. Mike." Jake nodded and wiped the sweat from his face with his handkerchief.

"Let's double back then and take a look near the creek."

"Sounds good to me," Horace added.

"Alright," Matthew replied with a nod. He and Robert E. took the lead of the search as Jake and Horace followed behind closely.

Myra walked into Mr. Bray's mercantile where Grace was purchasing some table cloths.

"Oh! Myra, I was just about to come look for you!" Grace exclaimed with a grin. Loren shook his head with amusement and added up Grace's total.

"That'll be five dollars. You want me to put that on your account?" Loren asked.

"Yes, thank you," Grace replied. Loren nodded and went about dusting off his counters.

"What did ya want to talk to me about?" Myra asked as she and Grace walked outside.

"I got enough money to start my own café! I'm settin' it up out near the livery, because Robert E.'s lettin' me use his land. I'm openin' it up tomorrow mornin', and I was wonderin' if you were still lookin' for a job."

"Well, I ain't the best cook in the world, but I'm tryin' to learn."

"You don't need to know how to cook right away. I just need somebody to help me waitress," Grace replied. "You can write down orders, right?"

"I don't know how to read very good. I'm learnin' that too."

"Well, then you can just help me take orders to the customers," Grace replied with an understanding smile.

"You mean it? You're really givin' me a job?"

"Does fifty cents a day sound good to you?"

"That sounds good!" Myra exclaimed. "Oh, thank you Grace. I really appreciate this." Myra hugged the woman who laughed happily.

"Well come help me set the tables up. Then we'll go 'round town advertisin'." The two women walked off, chattering excitedly about Grace's Café.

"Where are they?" Brian asked, pacing the porch of the clinic. Colleen was sitting on the bench, watching her little brother pace nervously. He was worried because he hadn't seen Sully in awhile, and because Dr. Mike still hadn't come into town. Matthew wasn't even back with the posse.

"They'll all be back before dinner, I'm sure," Colleen replied.

"Well, if Dr. Mike's gonna be our new ma, God shouldn't take her away like he's takin' ma."

"Brian, I'm sure that ain't gonna happen. You gotta think positive."

"I don't know if I can."

"Sure ya can. C'mon. I've got some butter and egg money. I'll buy you some gumdrops and licorice." She tickled her brother until he began to laugh. "I'm sure that'll make ya feel better. I'm only offerin' this once." Brian thought about it for a minute before he nodded.

"Okay," he replied. Colleen took his hand and led him over to the mercantile.

It was getting dark, and Sully and Michaela had finally made it to Sully's lean to.

"We might be able to make it back to town in an hour," Sully explained. He saw how tired Michaela looked and he knew she couldn't travel any further. He helped her sit down, and she exposed her sore knee to the cold. Sully pulled a blanket up around her shoulders and took one for himself. He started to build a fire with some nearby firewood he had chopped a few days ago. "Are ya hungry?"

"I couldn't possibly eat anything. I just want to sleep." As the fire began to build, Sully and Michaela huddled around it, warming their hands. Sully noticed how Michaela was gently rubbing her leg, trying to keep it from cramping.

"Here," Sully whispered. He took Michaela's legs into his lap and took her feet off. He slowly removed her torn stockings and put them aside. He began to massage her feet softly, rubbing his fingers on her sore soles.

"Oh that feels nice," Michaela whispered. Her toes stretched out and wriggled a little. Sully chuckled and his eyes sparkled in the firelight. Michaela licked her lips absent-mindedly, and Sully wanted to lean in to kiss her, but the sound of hoof beats coming up close startled them both.

"Dr. Mike?!"

"That's Matthew!" Michaela exclaimed. "Matthew! Matthew!"

"They're this way!" Matthew yelled out. A few moments later, four men on horseback appeared. Matthew dismounted first and ran over to Dr. Mike and Sully. "Dr. Mike? Are you okay?"

"I'm alright. Sully and I helped each other," she replied softly. Matthew pulled her into a hug without even thinking, but once he realized what was happening, he didn't pull away. They embraced each other tightly, as if they were family. Jake, Horace, and Robert E. dismounted and walked over to the fire.

"You're both hurt?" Jake asked.

"We're alright now," Michaela replied with a smile and a sparkle in her own eyes.

"Why don't you boys stay here for the night and warm yourselves by the fire? It'll be easier to get back to town in the mornin'."

"Well, if you insist," Robert E. said with a chuckle. So, the men all sat around the fire with Dr. Mike, Sully, and Wolf, all happy to see each other. Michaela and Sully had wanted to spend the evening in each other's company, but it was probably best that the men showed up when they did, because Michaela didn't feel strong enough to resist Sully and he didn't feel strong enough to resist her.

They all fell asleep around the warm fire that night, the search posse dreaming of getting back to town in the morning while Sully and Michaela dreamed about each other and their futures together.


	6. Eagerly Awaiting

**Chapter 6: Eagerly Awaiting**

It was late October now, and Michaela hadn't heard back from her family about her engagement to Sully. She wasn't sure if they had even received her letter yet, but she wasn't going to write them back until she knew their feelings on the subject.

Michaela's relationship with Sully was thriving, and they were finding it hard to control themselves in public. They needed to be in each other's arms as much as they could possibly find time for, and they would end up stealing kisses when they had a private moment. They were trying to make it a point to say goodnight later in the evening when the feelings were starting to build up. They didn't want to have any more close calls like that day in the woods.

Other relationships in Colorado Springs were thriving as well. Matthew and the young immigrant from Sweden named Ingrid had started courting, much to Charlotte's approval. She loved the girl as if she was a part of the family, making everything much easier for her growing son. Charlotte was becoming weaker in a slower pace. She was still strong and bull-headed, which made Michaela sure that she was going to be around for quite awhile.

Robert E. and Grace were now courting, and Michaela knew it was only a matter of time before they god married. Grace was now managing her café with Myra's help. Myra was surprisingly helpful with numbers, making Grace's job a whole lot easier.

When it came to Myra and Horace, they were courting, much to Hank's dismay. It was obvious to everyone that Hank had taken a liking to Myra, but they weren't at all sure what Myra thought of him. Everyone was warning Myra to stay away from Hank, that he was bad news, even his good friends Jake and Loren.

Colleen, Brian, and Matthew were growing increasingly attached to Michaela, and Charlotte was pleased to know that the family she wanted her children to have, was coming together nicely.

The children had officially moved into the clinic to be with their mother, so Dorothy had her pick of the rooms above Loren's store. Dorothy and Michaela were growing close as well, and things were finally starting to settle down in Colorado Springs.

The stagecoach rolled into Colorado Springs on a lazy Friday morning. Michaela was sitting out on the porch of the clinic with Brian who was teaching her all about a book he read about frogs. She was listening carefully, loving the little boy's enthusiasm about the book he had read.

"Did you know that some frogs can far as I am tall?" Brian asked with wide eyes.

"No, I'm not sure I knew that," Michaela replied with a grin. Sully walked up with Wolf behind him.

"Hey Sully!" Brian said with a grin. "I was tellin' Dr. Mike about the book I read about the frogs. Her and Colleen have been helpin' me read, and I really like it!"

"That's good, Brian. I'm proud of ya."

"Sully?"

"Yeah, Brian?"

"When you and Dr. Mike get married, you'll be my pa once we come to live with you and Dr. Mike. When you're my pa, will ya take me fishin'?" Sully swallowed hard, realizing that he was soon going to be inheriting three children.

"I'll take ya fishin' anytime, Brian. All ya gotta do is ask."

"Can we go tonight?"

"You'll have to ask your ma first."

"Okay, I'll go ask her now." Brian ran into the clinic and Michaela smiled up at Sully.

"You really know how to talk with him."

"You're doin' a good job too," Sully replied. "He's really warmin' up to ya. All of 'em are."

"I'm glad," Michaela replied. She smiled and she noticed something across the street. Sully saw the look in her eyes.

"What is it?"

"Oh my . . ." she began. She watched as the townspeople stared at the stagecoach much like the day she arrived in town. Sully caught what she was gazing at and he took her hand. "Sully . . ."

"It's gonna be alright." She stood and Sully let go of her hand. She started to walk over toward the stagecoach, and then she began to run. Josef Quinn turned around and saw his daughter. His eyes lit up and he held his arms out to his daughter.

"Mike!" he exclaimed. Michaela rushed into his arms and they hugged tightly.

"Father! You're here!"

"Hello Michaela," came another familiar voice. Michaela looked over to see her mother standing at the stagecoach. She pulled away from her father and gave her mother a soft hug.

"Mother," she said with a smile. "What are you both doing here?"

"As soon as your mother and I heard you were getting married, we decided to come out here. We weren't sure when the wedding was going to be, so we figured we'd have to get here as soon as possible. Girls?" Out of the stagecoach hopped Rebecca, Marjorie, Claudette, and Maureen. Michaela's eyes widened and she wondered how her family made it all the way from Denver in the stagecoach without killing each other.

"I can't believe you're all here. I'm afraid to disappoint you all, but the wedding isn't until May."

"May?!" Marjorie exclaimed. "You should have specified in your letter."

"We hadn't set a date yet. We're starting to talk about May." Sully made his way over to the group and put his arm around Michaela.

"Sully!" Josef said with a proud grin. "I am proud to call you my son-in-law. You're the closest thing I've got to a son." He extended a hand and Sully shook it gratefully.

"Dr. Quinn."

"Please, call me Josef, like I've asked you before," Josef said with a chuckle.

"Father, you shouldn't have traveled out here with condition."

"What condition? My heart's as good as it ever was. I'm as good as new." Michaela rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I'm taking it easy."

"Mr. Sully," Elizabeth said with a smile, "I have come to peace with the fact that my daughter is marrying you. But I insist that you both move to Boston as soon as this wedding is over."

"Mother!" Michaela exclaimed, "Sully and I are making a life here, and we are going to live here once we are married."

"Please, Michaela, don't try to keep this farce up," Marjorie said with a yawn.

"Farce? Marjorie . . ."

"Marjorie, I do not think this is the appropriate time to discuss this. Perhaps we can put our things in the nearest hotel," Rebecca suggested.

"The closest thing we have to a hotel 'round here is the clinic," Loren spoke up from the crowd.

"I'd be happy to let you stay in the empty rooms. Nobody is ill, so we have more than enough rooms."

"That'll do, Mike," Josef said, kissing his daughter's cheek. The Quinn family made their way to the clinic with Sully. As they walked inside, Brian came running down the stairs.

"Sully! Ma said we could go fishin'!" Brian exclaimed. Brian's outburst had startled the Elizabeth and the Quinn sisters, except for Michaela of course. Sully picked up the boy.

"That's great, Brian." Brian looked at everyone in fancy clothes and looked at Michaela.

"Dr. Mike? Who are they?"

"These, Brian," Michaela replied with a smile, "are my mother and father and my sisters."

"Does that make them my grandma, grandpa, and aunts?" Brian asked.

"What on Earth is he talking about?" Maureen asked.

"It's a long story," Michaela replied.

"Well, not yet, but after you become our ma," Brian explained. Everyone looked at Michaela and Sully cleared his throat, sensing how uncomfortable his wife-to-be was.

"Brian, why don't ya go see if Mr. Bray needs any help at the store."  
"Okay," Brian replied reluctantly. He ran out of the clinic and Michaela led her family upstairs to the empty rooms. There was a room for Maureen and Claudette, one for Rebecca and Marjorie, and one for Elizabeth and Josef. The beds were freshly cleaned and made.

"This place is charming, Michaela," Rebecca said with a cheerful giggle. Michaela smiled and hugged her favorite sister.

"Thank you," she whispered. Sully offered to bring the ladies' things up to their rooms to give Michaela some time with her family. Josef went to help him, even though he couldn't do too much with his body still healing from his heart attack.

Michaela was alone in the room with her mother, and she felt an uncomfortable, awkward knot in the pit of her stomach.

"Mother, I know you may not approve of my choice to come here, but I had to do it. I had to follow my heart. I thought you would at least be pleased that I decided to marry."

"I could have found a proper suitor."

"I don't want anyone else, mother. I love Sully, and we are getting married in May."

"Michaela, I wish you would reconsider."

"Mother, you don't even know Sully."

"Well, I have plenty of time to get to know him."  
"What do you mean?"

"Your sisters will leave with the next stagecoach since the wedding so far away, but your father and I are staying."

"What?" Michaela asked, her throat going dry.

"Your father and I are staying until the wedding is over."

"You're serious?"

"Your father has given up his practice. He's retired and left his patients to his colleagues since you weren't there to take them."

"Oh," Michaela said, looking away. "Well, you can't use pity to bring me back to Boston, because it won't work with me. You don't have to stay until May."

"It won't be good for your father to make different trips to and from Boston," Elizabeth pointed out. "We have all the time in the world, so we'll be here getting to know the man you've chosen to marry." Michaela smiled slightly at her mother and left the room, shutting the door behind her. She looked upward and said a silent prayer, asking God to grant her the strength to put up with her mother again.

Michaela had checked on her sisters, all who seemed to be in irritable moods except for dear Rebecca. Josef was also in quite a cheery mood, but he was always cheery when it came to his youngest daughter.

Michaela finally had some peace and quiet as she descended the stairs. She exited the clinic to find Sully sitting on the porch, whittling away at a piece of wood. He looked up when he saw her, and he saw how much pressure her family had put on her by showing up unannounced.

"I have something to tell you," Michaela started.

"Okay," Sully replied, putting his knife away.

"My mother has just informed me that she and father are staying until the wedding's over."

"Your pa just told me," Sully replied with a nod. Michaela sighed with relief that she didn't have to be the bearer of bad news. She loved her family, but she wasn't sure if she could put up with her mother for several months in a row. Sure, she had put up with her for twenty-five years. This was different now because she had had a break.

"You aren't mad?" Michaela asked slowly.

"Nah," Sully replied. "It just means that I'll have to finish my surprise up sooner than I thought."

"Surprise?" Michaela asked. Sully nodded with a gleam in his eye.

"C'mon. I'll show it to you." Sully took Michaela's hand and led her to the wagon. They got in and Sully started off out of town. They didn't stop until they reached a beautiful clearing where tools were scattered and brick and stone were laid. Michaela gasped when she saw what Sully had been doing. He helped her out of the wagon and pulled her into his arms. She rested her head on his chest and they embraced lovingly as they observed the beautiful scenery. "This is where we're gonna live."

"Oh Sully, it's breathtaking," Michaela whispered. "I can't wait to live here with you. I want to be your wife. I can hardly wait for our wedding day."

"Me either," Sully agreed. Michaela looked up into Sully's eyes and kissed him softly, temporarily forgetting about how worried she was that her family had come to town. She felt like she was going to be scrutinized every waking moment, but that's how it was with Elizabeth. She didn't want to think about her visitors right now. All she wanted to do was stand at the site of her future home with the man she loved in her arms. After all, that was all that mattered. "Michaela, if ya want, we can move the weddin' up. We can get married sooner than we planned."

"What do you mean?"

"I figured getting married in May would be good because it'd give me time to finish the house. But, with Charlotte sick and your family here, we could have the weddin' in a couple of months. We won't need the privacy until the children come to live with us, so we could live at the old homestead until the new house is finished.

"Oh, Sully, that's a sweet idea, but I couldn't ask you to do that."

"Do what?"

"To live with your new wife in the home you built for your first wife."

"That don't matter, Michaela. Abagail would understand that I'm in love with you."

"I wouldn't feel right, Sully."

"Here we go again," Sully said with a sigh. Michaela sighed took and took Sully's hands in hers.

"I want to marry you, and I don't care when that happens. It can be now, in May, or in twenty years. As long as I know I'm going to have you with me for the rest of my life, that's what counts."

"You said you wanted your father to give you away and for Charlotte to be your Matron of Honor."

"I do," Michaela replied.

"Then ya gotta let what you want come true. How long do you think Charlotte has left?"

"There's no way of knowing," Michaela admitted, "but she is getting weaker." Sully kissed Michaela softly.

"Personally I can't wait to marry ya, but if you wanna wait, that's fine too. I just want you to be happy."

"I will be."


	7. Family Matters

**Chapter 7: Family Matters**

"He didn't even tell you he was building a new house?" Rebecca asked with a gaping jaw and wide eyes. Michaela grinned and shook her head.

"He wanted it to be a surprise."

"That's so romantic," she replied with a sigh. Michaela nodded.

"He wants to have it built by the time we're married, but he's offering to push the wedding up so the children's mother can be my Matron of Honor. Along with you of course," Michaela replied.

"Well, if you were planning on having Charlotte as your Matron of Honor, I don't want to step on any toes."

"Oh no! I would be honored to have you as my Matron of Honor as well," Michaela replied with a grin. She and her sister hugged briefly and smiled together.

"And if you're worried about Marjorie, Claudette, and Maureen, don't. They're just jealous because the man you're going to marry isn't a stuffy business man with no personality." Michaela grinned and she and her sister linked arms as they walked. Michaela had never liked the husbands her sisters had married, except for Rebecca's husband. He and Rebecca were very much alike, and that was why Michaela enjoyed having him as a brother-in-law so much.

"Rebecca, I could use some advice."

"What kind of advice?"

"Well," Michaela began, blushing slight, "I know the wedding is months away, but I've . . . I've never been . . ."

"You've never been with a man?" Rebecca asked. Michaela nodded sheepishly and Rebecca chuckled. "I had suspected you hadn't, and I applaud you for waiting."

"Well, you are my closest sister and I feel like I can tell you anything."

"You can tell me anything," Rebecca promised.

"Well, I could really use some advice. Sully's been married before, and, well," she found herself blushing again. Rebecca held her sister's hand and squeezed it snugly.

"I'll tell you everything I know." Michaela and Rebecca walked off to have a little girl talk.

Sully was out working on the homestead. He was determined to finish it before the snow came. He knew it would be coming in at the end of December, so he only had two months to finish it. He knew the task was damned near impossible, but he knew that if he put his mind to it, he could do anything.

He was hammering away at what was going to be the start of the siding of the house when he heard hoof beats nearing. He put his hammer down and took a look at the foundation he had laid with his own hands. He couldn't wait to carry Michaela over the threshold after it was finished.

He saw that the mystery rider was Matthew coming up quickly. For a moment he feared that something had happened to his wife-to-be, but the look on Matthew's face wasn't one of panic. He smiled when he saw Sully. He dismounted the horse and walked over. Sully and the young man clasped hands and shook.

"What brings ya out here?" Sully asked.

"I heard you were buildin' this place for Dr. Mike."

"It's for all of us, Matthew. Dr, Mike, you kids, and me."

"I was startin' to worry how we were all gonna fit in Dr. Mike's homestead," Matthew replied, removing his Stetson and wiping the sweat from his brow. He replaced the hat where it was originally took a drink of water from his canteen. "I was wonderin' if ya needed any help buildin' the place. I ain't lookin' for pay. Just a way to help out my family."

"Well, I really want to build this place for myself, you know? But, I could use somebody to bring lumber and help me saw it."

"I can do that," Matthew said.

"I'd appreciate it," Sully said with a chuckle.

"You think you'll have this place up by the time May gets here?"

"I'm plannin' on havin' it built by the time the snow gets here."

"By yourself?"

"I'm gonna try," Sully replied. "I've got a bunch of supplies on the way from Denver and Soda Springs. I'm plannin' on surprisin' Dr. Mike."

"What do you mean? How are ya gonna surprise her?" Sully smiled secretively and cleared his throat.

"Well, Dr. Mike wants your ma to stand up with her at the weddin'. She also wants her pa to give her away. Just between the two of us, I'm not sure Josef's gonna be 'round till May. I ain't sayin' that to be negative, but I don't want her walkin' down the aisle without her pa to give her away."

"So what are ya gonna do?" Matthew asked.

"Well, I'll explain it all later. Is Dr. Mike goin' to be leavin' anytime today?"

"She's going to the Thomas' farm. She won't be back till sundown," Matthew replied. "She's leavin' after she gets back from her stroll with her sister."

"Which one?" Sully asked with a laugh.

"Rebecca, I think. There's too many of 'em," Matthew replied with a chuckle.

"Alright. As soon as Dr. Mike leaves, you get her ma, pa, and sisters to come over to Grace's. Does your ma feel like getting out?"

"She's been wantin' some fresh air for weeks."

"Well, if she feels like it, bring her and get Dorothy, Loren, Grace, Robert E., Myra, Horace, Jake, Hank, and Reverend Johnson to meet you there. I'll explain everything as soon as I get there."

"Alright," Matthew replied slowly. He wasn't sure what Sully was planning, but he knew that this was going to be something big if it involved the town's important citizens (even Hank) and Michaela's friends and family. "I'll get back to town."

"I'll be along in awhile," Sully replied. Matthew nodded and mounted his horse, riding off toward town. Sully went back to working on the first wall of the house he was going to help raise his soon-to-be family in.

Michaela had started off toward the Thomas' farm, and as soon as she had disappeared around the bend, the townsfolk who had been invited to the get together at Jake's rushed over that way. Matthew, Brian, and Colleen helped Charlotte, who was more than thrilled to get out for a few minutes to stretch her muscles. She had a heavy shawl and afghan around her shoulders to keep her warm.

Everyone was seated around two long tables at the café, and Grace was getting hot coffee and cider for everyone. Matthew was trying to calm everyone down. None of them quite knew what Sully was planning to talk to them about. They only knew that he wanted them all there.

Hank pulled a flask from his vest and took a swig of whatever liquor was stored inside. He took a puff from his cigar and scanned the crowd.

"What does he want?" Myra asked, looking up at Matthew.

"I don't know. He just told me to bring ya'll over here."

"This is absurd," Elizabeth said, starting to stand up. Josef put a hand on his wife's arm.

"Our future son-in-law wants our attention, so we should give it to him." Elizabeth sighed heavily and looked at Rebecca who smiled at her. Elizabeth shook her head and looked away. Rebecca was her eldest daughter, but she never took her mother's side. She was always defending Michaela, and sometimes Elizabeth even felt that Rebecca was right.

Sully walked around the corner of the livery and everyone fell silent, their eyes resting on the mountain man who had called them all together without Michaela's presence.

"Where's my daughter?" Elizabeth demanded.

"She's out at the Thomas' farm," Colleen pointed out.

"Oh," Elizabeth replied under her breath.

"I demand to know what's going on," Marjorie said, exasperation dripping from her voice.

"Well, I know you're all probably wonderin' what's goin' on," Sully started.  
"Yes, we are, Mr. Sully," Maureen chimed in.

"Let him have a chance to speak, Maureen," Josef warned. Maureen hushed and watched Sully was confusion and irritation in her eyes.

"As you all know, me and Dr. Mike are plannin' on getting married in May. Well, Michaela's startin' to worry. She wants to have her pa give her away, and she wants Charlotte to be there as her Matron of Honor." Colleen took her mother's hand and squeezed it a little. Charlotte smiled at her daughter and patted her hand. "I'm buildin' a new homestead, and I'm plannin' on havin' it built by the time winter gets here, but if it ain't finished, I can wait it out till the spring."

"So why have you brought us all here this evening?" Elizabeth wondered.

"Well, I was wonderin' if I could have help from all of you."

"What do you want from us?" Jake asked. Everyone all looked at Sully and he cleared his throat, preparing to begin his speech. He only hoped the townsfolk and Michaela's family would cooperate.

Later that evening, Michaela was relaxing in the rocking chair at the homestead. She had removed her shoes and was warming her toes in front of the fire. She let her hair down and was sitting in her comfortable night gown with a book of poetry in her lap. The afternoon had been a long one. The Thomas' were having problems with food poisoning, but luckily it wasn't too serious. She had given them all the recommended treatment, and advised them to get rid of their cows and purchase new ones, even though the cost would be quite high. She warned them against eating any more of the meat from their own livestock.

Now that she was home, she could relax and read. But she was having trouble concentrating on Emerson's words. With ever beautiful line in his poems, she would think of Sully and the way he made her feel. She was so happy that he was building a new home where they would raise their family together and make new memories.

Michaela fell asleep in her rocking chair with a smile on her face, but a dream filled her thoughts.

_The cries of a newborn baby filled the room, and Michaela opened her eyes. She sat up in bed feeling cold. She smiled with relief when she saw Sully sitting up on the edge of the bed with a child in his arms. _

_"Sully?"_

_"She's just wantin' to see her ma and pa. I don't think she's hungry."_

_"You're so wonderful with her, Sully," Michaela whispered. She scooted over to sit beside him, resting her chin on his shoulder and peering down at the baby in his arms. The contrast of the baby against her father's bare chest was beautiful to Michaela. His dark complexion and the baby's pale skin reminded Michaela of a piece of artwork. She couldn't get over how perfect her child was, and she was so happy that Sully was the man she had created the child with._

_"I can't believe she's ours," Sully whispered as the baby's eyes drifted shut. Michaela smiled and pulled the child into her arms. The baby's head lolled and rested on her shoulder. The feeling of that child in her arms gave her a sense of strength of which she had never felt before. She felt like she could do anything; be anything._

Michaela's eyes flew open at the crack of dawn as a rooster crowed outside. She yawned and felt as if she hadn't gotten a moment of sleep. She stood and stretched out, letting her aching muscles contract and relax.

For a moment, she wasn't sure what day it was, but she quickly remembered that it was Halloween. In all of the confusion with her family arriving the morning before, she had completely forgotten that she had a finished Halloween costume hanging beside her bed. On top of making her own witch's costume, she had helped Charlotte make Matthew, Colleen, and Brian's. She loved helping do things for the children, because it was practice for what was to come in the future. However, doing these things with Charlotte was bittersweet because she knew Charlotte wouldn't be around forever to help her with the kids.

Michaela felt a chill so she quickly slipped out of her nightgown and into the dress she had laid out for the day. She smiled when she looked down at the beautiful engagement ring on her finger. She sighed and couldn't help but think about Sully.

A knock came to the door and Michaela opened the door. Sully was standing there with a pumpkin in his hand.

"Good morning," Michaela said with a smile.

"Mornin'," Sully replied. "I brought this, and I figured we could carve a jack-o-lantern tonight."

"That would be lovely," Michaela replied with a bright smile. "Bring it inside and put it on the table." Sully did as Michaela asked. He turned and walked over to her, taking her hands in his. "Are you coming to the Halloween party tonight?"

"Um, I can't," Sully replied quickly.

"Why not?" Michaela asked.

"I need to work on the new house."

"At night?" Michaela asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah. I just want to get a little more of the framework finished."

"What's the rush?"

"I don't know. I just want to finish it as soon as possible," Sully replied, swallowing hard.

"You have quite awhile."

"I know. I just . . . I don't feel like goin' tonight. If it means that much to you I'll go . . ."

"No. That's alright," Michaela replied. She kissed Sully's cheek. "I might not go either."

"You have to go. Brian and Colleen are looking forward to you seein' their costumes."

"Perhaps you're right. Well, I'll bring you some food and cider from the party."

"Alright. That sounds good," Sully replied with a smile. He kissed her softly and started toward the door. "I'll hitch up the wagon and drive ya into town."

"Okay. Oh, Sully?"

"Hmm?" he asked, turning back around.

"Are you alright with my family being here?"

"Why wouldn't I be alright with it?"

"I don't know. They're very outspoken."

"Like you are?" he asked. "I think I can handle 'em."

"You're brave, Mr. Sully," Michaela said with a chuckle. Sully pulled her back into his arms.

"Not as brave as you, Dr. Quinn." He kissed her forehead and left her wanting more of his touch. She quickly finished getting ready and joined him in the wagon for their trip into town to start the new day.


	8. Confusion

**Chapter 8: Confusion**

Sully had dropped Michaela off at the clinic and continued on out to the new homestead to get in a good day's work. Michaela told him she would try to get out of the clinic around noon to bring him something for lunch. Michaela walked into the clinic to find her mother and Colleen standing at the exam table folding linens and bandages. Michaela was immediately caught off guard and didn't know what to say to the situation.

"Hey Dr. Mike," Colleen said with a smile. Michaela looked from her to Elizabeth who looked surprisingly happy to see her youngest daughter. "Your ma was just helpin' me finish foldin' these things."

"Alright. Thank you, mother," Michaela said slowly, half expecting to wake up any moment. Michaela caught a glance between her mother and Colleen and wondered what it was. "I'm just going to check on Charlotte." Michaela started upstairs, stealing a backward glance at the two. When she had disappeared, Colleen pulled on her jacket and helped Elizabeth with her coat.

"I don't feel right about this," Colleen whispered to the woman that would be her grandmother one day.

"It's alright," Elizabeth whispered, having softened up to the children since the evening before at Sully's meeting. She put a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "Your older brother has his instructions?"

"Yes," Colleen said with a nod. "And Miss Dorothy is upstairs to talk with Dr. Mike."

"Good. We have plenty of time then," Elizabeth replied. She and Colleen went outside and waited as Horace drove up in his surrey. As soon as he arrived, he helped both ladies into the surrey and drove off toward the old homestead.

"I still don't feel right about this," Colleen said softly. "Sneaking around Dr. Mike's house . . ."  
"It's for a good cause," Elizabeth reminded her.

"I think it's really nice how you want to do this for her." Elizabeth smiled a little at her future granddaughter.

"Well, I'm not sure what you've heard about me, but despite all of that, I do love Michaela. I suppose we're both handfuls and it's just hard for us to get along. I want to get to know you children because some day, we'll be a family. I want to get to know Mr. Sully because some day, he's going to be my family too." Colleen smiled at Elizabeth and gave her a little hug.

"Ladies, do you have everything you need?" Horace asked.

"Yes Horace," Colleen replied, and they continued on in silence. They passed Matthew as they were leaving town. Horace nodded to him and he took off on his horse toward the new homestead where Sully was building.

Dorothy was sitting with a sleeping Charlotte upstairs at the clinic. They had been discussing the meeting with Sully from the evening before, but Charlotte had been a bit drowsy and had nodded off. Charlotte had been sitting with her, waiting for Dr. Mike. Once she heard the footsteps of the doctor coming up the stairs, she stood and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Hello Dorothy," Michaela greeted her with a surprised smile.

"Michaela, can we talk?" Dorothy asked quickly but carefully as not to alarm the young woman.

"Of course. Why don't you wait for me downstairs, and I'll be down as soon as I check on Charlotte."

"Alright," Dorothy agreed. She walked downstairs. Michaela entered Charlotte's room and saw her sleeping peacefully. She decided that she didn't want to wake her, so she closed the door and started down the hallway. She found one of Brian's toy carvings on the floor and smiled. She picked it up and held it delicately in her hands, running her fingers along the beautiful woodwork. Sully had quite a talent for carving and building, and she was more than thrilled that he was building their new home. She could hardly wait until May to marry him, and she was thinking about asking Sully if they could move the wedding up.

She was so busy thinking about Sully that she nearly forgot about Dorothy waiting downstairs. As soon as she snapped out of her thoughts, she made her way down the stairs to find Dorothy pacing the exam room.

"Dorothy? Are you feeling ill?"

"Oh, no it's nothin' like that," Dorothy promised. "I was just wonderin' if you were gonna need any help on your weddin' dress? Grace, Myra, and I would be more than willin' to help you with it." Michaela's eyes widened.

"Dorothy, we're several months away from the wedding."

"Oh, I know, but I thought it would be nice to get started on the dress and have it finished early."

"Well, I could really use the help on it."

"Good!" Dorothy exclaimed! "Why don't we all meet at the church tomorrow? The Reverend is willin' to let us all borrow it twice a week for a few hours. Oh, your mother and sisters want to help too."

"They do?" Michaela asked with surprise.

"Yes. Your mother wants to order you a dress, but we convinced her to let us make it," Dorothy replied.

"My mother actually wants to help?"

"I think she feels bad for not supportin' ya earlier."

"Well, I wish she'd talk to me about that," Michaela replied, folding her arms in concern. She wondered why her mother told Dorothy this instead of her own daughter. Michaela sighed and decided that if her mother wanted to help her in any way, she should just let it happen. "You said my sisters wanted to help? They're leaving next week."

"They want to help while they're here. They'll be back before the weddin' to help too," Dorothy said with a smile.

"Well, I suppose we could get started on it. It might be nice to look at it and know that this summer, I'll be married to the man I love." Dorothy grinned at her new friend and hugged her.

"That's the spirit. I'll go tell the ladies. It looks like you've got a lot of work around here to do."

"You're right about that. Thank you Dorothy." Dorothy nodded and left the clinic. Michaela sighed and walked over to the window. She watched Dorothy run over to the mercantile where Grace and Myra were. She watched as they began talking in hushed tones. She was even more surprised when Loren ushered them into the store and closed the door behind them. Michaela felt her jaw drop, and she was about to walk over there to see what was going on when the door opened and Maureen ran in.

"Michaela!" she exclaimed.

"Maureen? What is it?"

"It's Claudette! We were walking in the meadow and she tripped. She can't move her ankle."

"Oh dear," Michaela whispered. She grabbed her medical bag and hurried with Maureen into the meadow. Claudette was limping over to sit on the porch of the church. Michaela Maureen rushed over to her.

"Claudette, are you alright?" Maureen asked.

"I'm alright. I think I may have broken my ankle," she replied through gritted teeth.

"Let me take a look," Michaela said softly. She helped her sister remove her shoe and the older woman bit her bottom lip with worry.

"I trust you, Michaela, but are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"I've seen much worse than this before, and I've treated much worse too."

"How bad is it?" Claudette asked. Michaela tenderly examined her sister's foot, and after a few minutes she took a deep breath.

"Well, it appears that you won't be dancing at the Halloween party tonight. Your foot isn't broken, but it's badly sprained. Maureen, help me get her to the clinic so I can wrap her foot properly." Maureen nodded and the two of them helped Claudette over the small wooden bridge and into the clinic.

Matthew had finished sawing all of the lumber Sully had left. More lumber was arriving in a few days, so Sully had to work with what he had. Matthew had come from town to tell Sully that Elizabeth and Colleen had gone to Michaela's homestead**. The ladies had gone to find something Elizabeth remembered Michaela having as a child. It was a design she had kept in an old diary that she told her mother she wanted to have for the design on her fancy china at her wedding. Elizabeth recalled that being a truly special moment with her daughter. She wanted to get that very design, and she knew Michaela still had that old diary, because it no longer occupied it's place on Michaela's bookshelf at home.**

Sully was grateful to the town for helping him make Michaela's dreams come true. Loren was being helpful by giving Sully discounts on supplies he needed for the new homestead. Even Jake and Hank were being helpful by making sure none of the townsfolk let the surprise slip. Everyone was keeping quiet, and Sully was concerned that Michaela was starting to grow suspicious. But, as long as she didn't know what was going on, the better the surprise would be in the end.

"That's the last of it," Matthew announced as he dropped the lumber off at Sully's side. Sully had managed to start building the main framework of the house, and he couldn't wait until dinnertime. Michaela was supposed to bring dinner out to him after the party, but he had other plans.

"Thanks, Matthew. You best get into town and get into your costume."

"The party doesn't start for another three hours."

"Three hours? Alright," Sully replied. "Why don't you go spend some time with Ingrid."

"Why would I want to do that?" Matthew asked, his voice becoming almost high-pitched, his face flushing red. Sully chuckled.

"I know you're sweet on her."

"Sully," Matthew groaned.

"You're fifteen. I remember what it was like. Go on." Matthew thought about it for a minute before nodded and riding off into town on his horse. Sully looked up at the sky and decided that he had better get moving on his plan for the evening. This was something that not even the townsfolk knew about. It was his little secret.

It was getting dark, and the townsfolk were gathering at the party. Music was playing and children were dancing and laughing. Brian was wearing a Frankenstein costume while Colleen was Rapunzel. Matthew had dressed up like an Indian and had gotten several laughs and pats on the back. Michaela was talking with Charlotte, who had insisted on coming to the party. While Michaela was dressed in her black witch's costume with a pointed hat and all, Charlotte wore her own clothes and stood behind the punch bowl to help serve.

Even the Quinn family had joined the party. They weren't dressed up either, but they wanted to see the town have some fun. Claudette and Maureen weren't uptight anymore, and were actually enjoying themselves with Rebecca. Marjorie was still acting a bit stuck up, and Michaela noticed that Hank had his eye on her. Josef had a smile on his face as he looked at Michaela with pride. Her beautiful hair was hanging down her back, brushed out and almost glowing in the lights of the torches that lit up the dance area.

"You look beautiful, Michaela," Elizabeth said, walking over to take her daughter's hands in hers. Michaela was nearly taken aback, but when her mother smiled at her, she knew she was sincere.

"Thank you mother," Michaela said with a smile.

"I want you to know that even though I don't think you should be living out here away from civilization, you truly seem to be doing this town a lot of good." Michaela was impressed with her mother's change of attitude.

"I'm glad you're learning to deal with the fact that this is my home now."

"You'll always have a home in Boston." Michaela only nodded and she smiled as Josef took Elizabeth's hand.

"My dear, would you join me on the dance floor?" he asked, kissing his wife's hand. Elizabeth's face lit up like a happy little schoolgirl, and she and Josef moved onto the dance floor.

"Save a dance for me!" Michaela called out to her father.

"Always, Mike!" he promised. Michaela watched as her father and mother danced like two young lovers, holding each other close. Horace and Myra were dancing, smiling lovingly into each other's eyes. Hank's attention seemed to shift back and forth from Marjorie to Myra, but he soon extended his hand to the reluctant Marjorie. Marjorie glanced over at Michaela who only shrugged. She took a deep breath and finally accepted his hand. He led her to the dance floor as Loren took Dorothy around in a spin.

Michaela began to feel lonely and wondered if she should have Grace fix Sully up a dish and some cider. She wanted to be with him now and not wait until the party was over. But when she saw how happy Grace was with her future husband on that dance floor, Michaela couldn't bare to break her away from him. Plus, she knew the children wanted her to stay.

She giggled as she saw Matthew desperately try to dance out on the floor with Ingrid in his arms. She watched as Ingrid began to laugh, and Matthew broke down and they danced foolishly but enjoyed themselves at the same time. Colleen's face was lit up with a smile as she danced for the first time with a boy from town. Brian was running around with one of his friends, trying to sneak candy from the serving table. But, Charlotte would reprimand them every time they would try to sneak some sweets.

Watching everyone enjoy themselves was getting to be too much for Michaela. She was about to walk off to gather some food for Sully by herself when she felt a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Sully standing before her in a newer suit. He was clean-shaven and his long brad was neatly placed against his suit. He looked like a dream!

"Sully!" Michaela exclaimed. The music faded as the band took a break for a few moments. The town folk began to chatter about how lovely each other's costumes were.

Jake and Hank had spotted Sully in his attire. Jake tapped Hank's arm and they both chuckled in amusement.

"He sure ain't gonna win the scariest costume," Hank said, taking a puff of his cigar.

"Are ya kiddin'?" Jake asked. "He's in a suit! That's scary!" The men chuckled and went to retrieve some punch for their respective dates.

Michaela was still staring at Sully with a dreamy look in her eyes. Sully had to fight off a laugh.

"Can't a man get dressed up and dance with his bride to be?"

"Dance?" Michaela asked.

"I've been learnin'," he replied.

"From who?" Michaela asked curiously.

"Well, from just about anybody who didn't mind their toes getting stepped on." Michaela laughed and kissed Sully on the cheek. "I knew you wanted me to come tonight, and I didn't want to disappoint you."

"You could never disappoint me."

"I hope you're right about that," Sully replied. He kissed her hand as a soft, beautiful song began to flow from the band's instruments. Sully extended his hand and Michaela took it willingly. They began to dance as they had done in Boston, but this time they knew that their dance could last forever if they wanted.


	9. Preparations

**Chapter 9: Preparations**

The weeks began to pass quickly, and it was nearly Thanksgiving. Grace, who had recently wed Robert E. in a small ceremony at the church, was planning on preparing Thanksgiving dinner for the entire town at her café. Charlotte was starting to get stronger, and Michaela was hoping that she could stay strong until May. She hadn't told Sully of her inner wishes to marry him before May, but she had come close on several occasions.

The Quinn sisters had returned to Boston, but were still very much in on Sully's special plan. They had been communicating back and forth through letters and telegrams. Elizabeth and Josef were staying at the boarding house in town, and as the cold winter air blew in, they found it hard to stay warm at night. But, Josef was glad to be in the fresh mountain air, and Elizabeth was glad to be there now that she had spent some time with the children whom would be her daughter's one day.

Michaela and her mother were finally getting along, and it was as if their relationship had taken a three-hundred-and-sixty degree turn. But, she was still wary of her mother's feelings toward Sully. It seemed as if they got along, but she knew that her mother didn't approve of him before. She felt that perhaps she was overreacting and that things were finally working out for the best. But at the same time, she felt like things were too good to be true.

The children were becoming more and more attached to Michaela, Sully, Josef, and Elizabeth. Although Charlotte was becoming stronger, Michaela knew that it was only a matter of time before she lost her battle with the disease that was keeping her in bed for twenty three hours a day.

Michaela was in the middle of treating a young woman named Nancy Edwards, and the young girl had a serious case of laryngitis. She was a singer, and was supposed to perform in a concert in Denver as soon as her family finished visiting with relatives in Colorado Springs.

"Dr. Quinn, there has to be something you can do," Nancy squeaked out, almost inaudibly.

"Nancy, the only thing I can do is give you something to brew into a tea and tell you not to use your voice until it heals. As long as you do that, you could get your voice back before your concert. I'm not guaranteeing anything, but it's a possibility." Nancy nodded and Michaela gave her what she needed to try to help heal her voice. Nancy left, paying Michaela two dollars, and as soon as Nancy left, Loren came walking into the room.

"Afternoon, Dr. Mike," he said with an unusual smile.

"Good afternoon, Loren. What can I do for you?"

"I was wonderin' if Elizabeth was here."

"My mother is taking a stroll with my father. I hope you aren't here to try to woo her over, because she is a married woman," Michaela warned with an amused tone. Loren grumbled as usual.

"I just have some supplies for her that she ordered from Boston."

"What kind of supplies?"

"Now that's your ma's business, don't ya think?" Loren asked with a wink. He tipped his hat to her and left the clinic. Michaela sighed heavily. She didn't know why, but somehow she felt left out as of late. Everyone seemed to have things going on in their lives that were private, even Charlotte and the children! Sully spent most of his days building the house, and the homestead was coming along nicely. He had finally broken down and let Matthew help him by building the fences that would go around the future barn. It was a bit of a time-saver. But what really bothered the doctor was the fact that the townspeople were busy with secrets of their own while she felt she had nothing to do and that everyone knew all of her secrets. Of course that wasn't true, and she knew that the way she was thinking was childish, but it still bothered her.

Jake came walking into the clinic and Michaela glanced at him. He never came to her for help because he felt that he could cure all of his own ailments.

"Mr. Slicker, what brings you here?" Michaela asked. He sighed heavily and decided to admit that he couldn't cure whatever was wrong with him.

"I've been havin' some problems."  
"What kind of problem?"

"Well, I ain't been able to . . . you know, and I've been drinkin' prune juice and eatin' apples."

"Oh," Michaela replied, chuckling on the inside, but trying to remain professional on the outside. She walked over to her cabinet and pulled out a small bottle. "Have you tried castor oil yet?"

"I'm all out and Loren's chargin' me extra 'cause I won't tell him why I need it."

"Alright. Well, just take some of this, and if it doesn't help, come back to see me," Michaela replied.

"Thanks Dr. Mike," Jake said sheepishly, reluctantly accepting the bottle of oil into the palm of his hand. He left two dollars for his visit and a shiny half-dollar for the castor oil. He left and Michaela couldn't help but laugh as he disappeared back into his barbershop. It took a bit of irregularity to finally get Jake Slicker to come visit the doctor. She was impressed that he had had the guts to actually let her know what was wrong with him.

Michaela settled back down at her desk and was about to go to work on some records when Brian came running in.

"Hey Dr. Mike!" he said with a big grin on his face

"Hello Brian," she replied with a smile.

"Is ma awake?"

"I'm afraid she's resting."

"She's always resting," Brian said quietly. "It's almost like she's dead already."  
"Brian, I know this is tough."

"You've got a ma and a pa. You don't know what it's like," the young boy argued. Michaela sighed and shrugged her shoulders. The boy had a point there.

"I'm sorry I've upset you, Brian."

"It's alright," he replied. He looked up at her with his bright, shining eyes. Something told Michaela he wanted to tell her something.

"What's on your mind, Brian?"

"Well, you're gonna be our new ma soon, and I was wonderin' if when you are our ma, you'll take us fishin' and stuff. Ma used to take us before she started feelin' sick."

"Brian, I'd be happy to take you. I'm sure Sully would to."

"Really?"

"Really," Michaela replied, reaching out to pat the boy's head.

"If ma's sleepin', I can't ask her if I can go to help Matthew and Sully."

"I don't think that's any place for a young boy. There's a lot of building going on, and it could be dangerous."  
"Please, Dr. Mike? I promise I won't get into any trouble. I just wanna watch Sully build the house."

"Well, perhaps you can ask her when she wakes up."

"When will that be?" Brian asked with disappointment in his eyes. He looked away and walked out of the clinic, closing the door with a dull thud. Michaela swallowed hard and wanted so much to be able to take Brian into his arms and tell him one way or the other. But that wasn't her place right now. Charlotte was still alive, and she hated the fact that Charlotte was missing out on her children's lives because of a disease that exhausted her so often.

The sounds of the church bell woke Michaela from her thoughts, and her stomach growled to tell her that she was hungry. She stood and pulled her coat on before she grabbed her medical bag and headed over to Grace's for lunch.

"Mrs. Quinn!" Loren shouted as he hurried through the meadow to catch up with Josef and Elizabeth. The two turned to stare at the older gentleman.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Bray," Josef said with a smile as he put his arm around Elizabeth.

"Afternoon, Dr. Quinn," Loren replied. "Mrs. Quinn . . ."

"How many times have I told you to call me Elizabeth?"

"Sorry," Loren replied with a chuckle. "I just wanted to let you know that the special package you ordered from Boston is in."

"Oh wonderful!" Elizabeth exclaimed with a smile. "I'll come take a look at it right away. Josef, will you distract our daughter?"

"Ah yes. I see she's going to Grace's." They all looked over to see Michaela sitting down alone at a table at the café. Michaela looked up to catch their glances, and they quickly looked away as if they'd been children caught doing something wrong. Loren held his arm out and Elizabeth linked her own with his. She gave Josef a reassuring kiss on the cheek before he walked over to talk to his daughter. He sat down across from the table at the café.

"Father? Where is mother going with Mr. Bray?"

"Er," Josef began. He hated lying to his daughter, even if it was for a good cause. "She's got an order in from Boston."

"What's that order?"

"I think it's fabric or what not for that dress your ladies have been making."

"Oh," Michaela replied. In fact, to cover up for the real package, Elizabeth had ordered some lace along with it to make it seem like a foolproof story. Grace could sense that Michaela was becoming suspicious again, so she quickly came over to fix the situation.

"So Thanksgivin' is comin' up real soon," Grace said with a smile. "Can I get you folks some coffee?"  
"Yes please," Michaela replied.

"I'll take a cup as well," Josef replied. Grace nodded. "I'm assumin' that ya'll be here for the Thanksgivin' dinner at the café, right?"

"We wouldn't miss your wonderful cooking for the world, Grace," Josef said with a smile.

"Oh you old charmer," Grace said with a laugh. Michaela had forgotten all about the strange meeting between her parents and Loren that she had just witnessed. At least for now.

"I'm afraid my cooking skills are limited, or I would contribute."

"You not cookin' is contributin' enough," Grace joked.

"Oh that's funny," Michaela replied, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, I have stories about Michaela trying to cook as a child."

"Father!" Michaela exclaimed. She had once tried to cook and nearly burned the house down. It hadn't been a pleasant experience, that was for sure!

"Well, between preparin' that weddin' dress and this Thanksgivin' dinner, I ain't got much time on my hands. But I'll make sure the town eats well. Robert E. is goin' huntin' for a nice turkey, and we'll all have a good time."

"Grace, if it's that much of a bother, we really can put off making the dress until later on in the spring."

"No!" Grace exclaimed quickly. She hadn't meant to sound harsh. Michaela was startled. "I mean, we can't stop makin' the dress or we might forget the pattern." Michaela sighed as Grace walked off to get coffee.

"Something strange is going on."

"Strange?"

"Oh never mind," Michaela replied. She sighed heavily and decided to stop worrying. At that point she began to wonder what Sully was up to at that moment.

Michaela rode out to the new homestead where Sully was working on the floorboards. Matthew had nothing to do, so he was in town with Ingrid. The young man had started spending more and more time with her, and the town, though many of them weren't sure about having one of their own fall in love with an immigrant, were starting to wonder how long before the two would marry.

Sully smiled when he saw Michaela riding up, and he walked over to help her out of the wagon. She pulled a picnic basket out of the back.

"I thought you might be hungry," she suggested.

"You thought right," Sully replied, giving her a soft kiss. Michaela, having been suspicious of everyone for the last couple of weeks, relaxed in the arms of her future husband. When he kissed her, he seemed to be kissing away all of the worry in the world. Michaela pulled away and uncovered the picnic basket full of Grace's infamous meatloaf, potatoes, and biscuits.

"I didn't know how hungry you were, so I packed two tins."

"I ain't that hungry, but I'd like you to join me."

"But I've already eaten."

"You don't have to eat," Sully replied. He pulled the picnic blanket out of the back of the wagon. They had been using that a lot lately to eat lunch on the floor of the homestead. The walls weren't completely up yet, and the ceiling didn't exist, but there was a stone fireplace that they could eat in front of. There was no fire yet, but they could only imagine the evenings they could share beside the fire.

"Sully, can I ask you something?" Michaela asked cautiously as they sat on the blanket.

"You can ask me anything."

"What's going on? I feel as if the entire town is talking about me." Sully had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"It seems as if everyone stops talking when I enter the room. Even my parents have been secretive."

"I haven't noticed anything."

"You've been out here most of the time. You haven't had to see what I've been going through.

"Michaela, those townsfolk think a lot of you, even though you ain't been here too long. You've saved some of them, and for that, they respect you. Maybe you're just . . ."

"Paranoid?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think I'm paranoid," Michaela replied. A breeze blew by and Michaela pulled her coat around herself more tightly. She shivered and Sully took her hands in his.

"You're cold?"

"I'm alright."

"Here," Sully said softly. He stood and pulled a blanket off of one of the wall frames. He wrapped it around Michaela's shoulders and placed a feather-light kiss on her cheek. Michaela felt instantly better about everything, and she began to wonder if Sully was right. Perhaps she was being paranoid. She also knew that if the people in town were talking about her, she'd have to show them that she wasn't upset. She couldn't let it get to her. "Don't go frettin', Michaela. From what I've heard, everyone is happy and they don't have a problem with ya. You've even fixed Hank, and he's the toughest sell."

"I suppose," she replied. She didn't want to think about it anymore, as soon as Sully was finished eating, she scooted over to sit beside him. He pulled an arm around her waist and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Sully?"

"Hmm?"

"Show me again where our room is going to be," Michaela requested. Sully smiled. Michaela seemed to ask him that every time she came out there, but he knew she never really forgot. He knew that by seeing the progress made to the house everyday, it was one step closer to their future together, and they were both as eager for that as the other. What Michaela didn't know was that Sully still had a surprise for her, and he couldn't wait for the day to give that surprise to her. He couldn't wait to see her face, and just thinking about the smile on her face made him smile. He kissed Michaela in a long, sensual kiss before pointing out where all of the children's rooms were going to be, including the small one for whoever might come along. Lastly, he pointed out their room, and Michaela smiled in the satisfaction of knowing that it was the room where they would sleep and make love as man and wife, and where new additions to the family could be created. It was only a matter of time before that day would come, but both Michaela and Sully were content to know that by this time next year, they would already be man and wife.


	10. Dreams Can Come True

**Chapter 10: Dreams Can Come True**

"Charlotte?" Michaela tapped on her friend and patient's door, and she heard a noise from inside.

"Come in, Dr. Mike," the older woman invited. Michaela walked in with a glass of water.

"I thought you might be thirsty."

"Yes, thank you," Charlotte responded, accepting the glass of cool water. Michaela sat down in a chair next to Charlotte's bed. The woman was starting to wither away slowly. Her hair was becoming lighter as the gray grew into place. Her skin was pale and starting to wrinkle. She had lost a tremendous amount of weight, and Michaela was very worried. It pained her to realize that Charlotte wasn't going to be around for the wedding. She was sure the poor woman wouldn't last until May.

"Charlotte?"

"Hmm?" the woman asked, her wonderful spirit still sparkling in her tired eyes.

"Have you spoken to Brian lately?"

"Yes," Charlotte replied with a nod. "He came to see me when you went to eat lunch.

"I don't know how to help him, Charlotte."

"It's hard to help somebody deal with losin' someone," Charlotte replied. "I told him somethin' that I thought might help. I hope you don't mind."

"What's that?" Michaela asked, tilting her head in curiosity. Charlotte smiled a little bit and shook her head.

"He's so worried that I'm gonna be mad at him for callin' you 'ma'."

"What?" Michaela asked. "Oh Charlotte, I didn't tell him he had to call me that, I assure you."

"I know you didn't. He asked me if it was alright."

"He did?"

"Yes. He really loves you, Dr. Mike. He asked me if I would be mad at him for calling you 'ma.' He even had an explanation planned out. He told me that it was because Colleen and Matthew had had a mother longer than he had, and he wants to have one too."

"Oh," Michaela replied quietly, looking down. She had had no idea that Brian wanted to think of her as his mother to. It was going to happen, she would be a mother-type figure for those children, but she never imagined they would want to think of her like that. She didn't want to be just a replacement. She really did want those children to be her children in her heart and possibly in theirs someday.

"I don't want you feelin' bad, Dr. Mike. You're going to be their mother, and if they wanna call you 'ma,' I'll be thrilled!"

"You don't have to say that."

"Just because I'm dyin' don't mean those kids have to be miserable. I've seen the way they look at you. They adore you, believe me. They ain't gonna give you trouble when the time comes for them to live with you."

"I just find this entire situation unorthodox. I'm trying to build a life and a career for myself while planning a wedding that is months away. I'm caring for a friend who wants me to take her children. You're already telling the children to think of me as their mother too, and I'm overwhelmed!" Charlotte chuckled a bit.

"I know most folks wouldn't take to lettin' their children get close to somebody else as a parent. But I ain't like most folks. Besides, you need to get used to bein' overwhelmed, because once you have a family, especially mine, you're gonna be overwhelmed at least twice a day." The two women laughed together, and Michaela felt something lift off of her. Her guilt for becoming close to her friend's family was slowly slipping away. She could see how much Charlotte trusted her, and all she wanted to do was make her proud.

"I've always had a dream that I had a bunch of children, and a husband who loved us all very much."

"Dreams can come true, you know?" Charlotte asked. "Your dream already is comin' true. So is mine."

"Yours?"

"My children are gonna have a ma and a pa that will look after them once I'm gone. There's not many folks who can say the same. I am grateful to you, doc. You've been a wonderful friend, and you're going to make a wonderful mother."

"Thank you for the vote of encouragement," Michaela replied with a laugh. Her eyes became misty and she frowned a bit. "I have the feeling that once you're gone, I'm not going to know what to do. I'm going to be lost."

"You're doin' just fine from what I understand. I'm up here in bed all day, and I ain't heard of nothin' bad happenin'. Brian came up here and told me you wouldn't let him go to the new homestead without my permission, but he also told me he understood that you were just protectin' him."

"He did?"

"My boy's a smart one. He understands people better than they might think."

"I'll have to keep that in mind." Michaela noticed Charlotte starting to doze off, so she left the room quietly and was surprised to run into her mother in the hall.

"Mother! You startled me," Michaela whispered, catching her breath.

"I'm sorry, Michaela. I was wondering if I could have a word with you?"

"Of course," Michaela replied, dread knotting up in the pit of her stomach. She began to wonder if this was when everything was going to fall apart. Perhaps her mother's nice gestures and kind words lately had been nothing but a gimmick; some part of the secret that everyone in town seemed to be hiding. Either way, she followed her mother into the room that her parents had been occupying. "What did you want to speak to me about?"

"Well, I just wanted to apologize," Elizabeth began.

"Apologize? Are my ears deceiving me?" Michaela asked. Elizabeth sighed heavily and shook her head.

"Honestly, Michaela, if you won't let me apologize to you, I don't know what else I can do to prove to you that I care."

"I'm sorry," Michaela replied, feeling extremely guilty and suspicious all at the same time. "Go on."

"Over the last few weeks, I've gotten to know Mr. Sully. I know I disregarded him when you brought him home for lunch, but I see now that you love him and he loves you. The look in his eyes when he sees you is the look that Josef used to have when he saw me." Michaela took her mother's hand.

"He still looks at you that way, mother. I can see it." Elizabeth smiled along with her daughter.

"I hope the two of you can be as happy as your father and I are. I know you'll have one benefit in your marriage that Josef and I didn't have."

"What's that?"

"You aren't a nagging housewife. You are doing something with your life, and you are willing to let him have his own opinions."

"Mother," Michaela began, swallowing hard. "I want you to know that even though we have our differences, I love you. You've contributed to a lot of who I am today."

"At least it's good to know that I've had some influence on your upbringing. You always had your father wrapped around your little finger." Michaela smiled and hugged her mother.

"Thank you for supporting me. That is what you're doing, isn't it?"

"Yes. For once in my life, I'm going to do the right thing and support my daughter. I hope it isn't too late to start."

"Of course not."

"Now just let me make it clear that I will never understand why you want to live here. But as long as you're happy and you're making a difference in people's lives, that's what matters."

"Oh mother," Michaela replied, pulling her into another hug. The door opened and Josef walked in. A look of delight and surprise flashed over his wrinkled features.

"Now this is something encouraging," he said with a clap of his hands. Michaela and Elizabeth chuckled as they pulled apart. Michaela wiped the tears from her eyes and walked over to hug her father.

"Thank you both for being her; for supporting me." She left the room and Josef looked at Elizabeth.

"What was that about?"

"Let's just say that our daughter and I are starting to see eye-to-eye."

The day seemed to pass by quickly, and Michaela was missing Sully. But, she knew that she shouldn't expect to see him every day, because he had other things to do with the house and such. He also went to visit the reservation often. Michaela couldn't expect him to be around at all hours of the day and night.

She had just gotten home from town. After she left the clinic, she had met the other ladies at the church to work on the wedding dress. It was coming along beautifully, but Michaela couldn't believe her wedding was so many months away. May seemed like an eternity, and she wanted so very much to start off the new year with a new husband and family. But, she supposed she could wait. She knew Sully would be worth it.

Michaela heard a noise coming from outside, and she walked over to the window. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, but she was still cautious. She still hadn't completely adjusted to the quiet country nights in Colorado Springs. She heard something out on the porch, and she swallowed hard. She knew that someone was definitely out there. She slowly tiptoed over to the door and opened it. There was nothing there, but a piece of paper on the porch captured her eye. She slowly stooped down to pick it up, and then stood quickly to look around her for signs of an intruder. When she didn't see anything suspicious, she looked down at the piece of paper. She opened the door to the homestead a bit to let some of the candle light filter out and illuminate the paper enough for her to read it.

It read:

_Meet me in the barn._ _Love, S._

A smile spread over Michaela's face, and she knew that Sully was waiting for her. She quickly walked into the house and ran a brush through her hair, feeling as happy as a girl going on her first stroll with a handsome young suitor.

With one last look in the mirror, she walked out of the house and toward the barn. She could see shadows bouncing off of the walls of the inside of the barn, and she knew Sully had candles lit.

"Sully?" she asked, stepping into the entrance of the barn. She smiled when she saw Sully standing in the barn wearing his usual buckskins, surrounded by candles. Normally she would have been concerned because it was a fire hazard. But tonight was different. Tonight the only thing she could focus on was Sully.

"You got my note."

"Well, I couldn't help but get it. You made enough noise putting it on my doorstep." She grinned a big white smile and Sully laughed.

"Yeah, I figured you probably woulda heard. I couldn't just stand out here all night. I had to get you out here."

"What is all of this?" She stood on the other side of the barn, feeling those usual feelings that she felt when she was near him.

"I figured you'd been workin' hard today and you could use some holdin'."

"Oh?" Michaela asked. Sully held his hand out and Michaela walked over and took it. They settled down on a picnic blanket Sully had put on the cold floor of the barn. Sully put his arm around her protectively and she leaned against him.

"I also figured you could use some relaxin'. I know you've been frettin' lately. You've been worried."

"I think I have good reasons to be."

"You don't need to worry, Michaela," he replied, rubbing her shoulders with his firm, strong hands. Michaela sighed and relaxed her body against his chest.

"That feels nice," she whispered. Sully smiled and he could feel her breath start to quicken. She turned in his arms to look up into his beautiful eyes with her own. Sully felt breathless as he looked into her beautiful sparkling eyes. He realized that part of her beauty was the fact that her eyes were two slightly different colors. He loved that about her, thinking that it enhanced the beauty she already had.

"I almost forgot," Sully said quickly, pulling his hands away from Michaela's shoulders. She was disappointed, wanting to feel more of his hands on her. She didn't think she could wait until May to be with him. Sully pulled something out of a pouch and kept it clenched in his fist.

"What is it?" Michaela asked curiously. Sully grinned at her and decided to play a little.

"You have to get it from me," he replied. Michaela grabbed his hand and tried to pry his fingers open to see her surprise. Sully was clenching his fist so tight that his knuckles were white. He chuckled at the look of determination on his face. When she couldn't get the surprise out of his hand, she decided to play with him as well. She brought her face up an inch away from his and planted a passionate kiss upon his lips, letting her tongue slip into his mouth. She kissed him with such force that he fell onto his back and his free hand began to rub Michaela's back. As he did that, his clenched hand started to relax. Michaela took the opportunity to pull away, grab his hand, and pull out her surprise. "You tricked me!" Sully laughed out loud as Michaela sat up eagerly to look at Sully's gift.

Michaela's jaw dropped when she saw a beautiful gold locket. It was shaped like a heart and had a tiny clasp. She pried it open with her fingernails to find that when it opened up, the inside was inscribed with the words 'My heart song.' Tears formed in Michaela's eyes, and Sully brushed them away when they began to fall.

"It's true," he whispered. "You are my heart song. I love you." He leaned in to capture Michaela's lips. She wrapped her arms around him and clung to him. She didn't want the moment to end, and before she knew it, the kiss had heated up and she was lying on her back with Sully staring down at her.

"Sully, I never thought I could be this happy. You've made me so happy." Sully smiled down at Michaela, who's cheeks had flushed into a beautiful shade of rose. He leaned in to kiss her again, when an 'Ahem' was heard from the doorway of the barn. Michaela and Sully looked over to see Josef standing there with a slight look of embarrassment on his face. Michaela quickly pushed Sully off of her as if she were a young girl being caught with a boy by her father. It was different because she was an adult, but it still felt the same because she wasn't married. She and Sully stood up and she gave him an apologetic look.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Michaela's face was nearly purple, and Sully wasn't quite sure if Michaela was actually breathing.

"Uh, no. We were just . . ." Michaela's voice trailed off and Josef chuckled.

"Ah yes, I know what it's like. Young love."

"What are you doing out here this late? Is it mother?"

"No. Actually your mother wanted me to drop these apples off to you. She didn't want me to go alone, but she also wanted you to get them before they began to bruise. So, here I am. I'll just leave them in your house and let you two get back to . . ." He cleared his throat. "Oh second though, Sully, may I speak to you outside?" Sully swallowed hard and walked out of the barn, feeling afraid of Michaela's father for the first time. Michaela felt embarrassed, but she knew that her father wouldn't say anything to embarrass Sully. She knew that soon Josef would be heading back to town and she would be left alone with Sully again.

Outside, Sully felt at a loss for words.

"Dr. Quinn, I didn't mean any disrespect by what happened back there." Josef started to laugh.

"Son, I know you didn't. I know my daughter well enough to know that she won't do anything she's not ready for until she's properly married. I just wanted to ask you if you could escort me back to town. I'm not too fond of the woods this late at night."

"Oh, of course, Dr. Quinn," Sully replied, relieved that Josef wasn't going to lecture him. "Couldn't you have asked me that in there?"

"In front of my little girl? I wouldn't want her thinking her father's afraid of the dark, now would I?" Josef winked at his future son-in-law and patted him on the back. Sully helped him into the surrey he had borrowed from Horace, and went into the barn to tell Michaela good night.

"I best be getting home," Sully said quietly.

"What did he say?" Michaela asked with a disappointed sigh.

"Nothin'. I just remembered that I've got a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"Alright. Thank you very much for the locket. It's lovely, Sully."

"Just like you," he whispered, giving her a tender kiss. When they broke apart, they laced their fingers together for a moment before Sully pulled away, leaving Michaela to blow out the candles from their beautiful few minutes of perfection.


	11. Something to be Thankful For

**Chapter 11: Something to be Thankful For**

Thanksgiving was here, and Michaela was trying to help Grace at the café. The only thing was that Grace didn't want Michaela's help. She didn't want her touching any of the food, because she knew that although the doctor was brilliant, she couldn't cook worth her salt. So, Michaela was helping Myra and Dorothy by peeling potatoes. Colleen was helping Grace with the turkey, and Charlotte was sitting at her seat at the table. The tablecloths were beautiful, and the fall air was cool and crisp. It was a beautiful day, and Michaela was sure that her first Thanksgiving in Colorado Springs was going to be a very happy one.

Sully walked up behind Michaela as she was peeling potatoes, and he kissed the nape of her neck. Michaela blushed wildly.

"Sully!" she exclaimed in a whisper as the ladies looked over at them and grinned knowingly. Sully's fingers played with the dainty chain as it rested against Michaela's beautiful, soft neck.

"What?" he asked innocently. "Can't a man show a woman how much he loves her in public?"

"Well . . ." Michaela began. But, she was lost for words when he captured her mouth with his own. She surrendered to his touch and kissed him back with enthusiasm.

"Ahem." Michaela and Sully looked up to see Elizabeth walking toward them.

"Mother?"

"Evenin', Mrs. Quinn. You're lookin' very nice today." Sully kissed Elizabeth's glove hand.

"Why thank you, Mr. Sully," Elizabeth replied with a smile. Josef pulled out a chair for her to sit down in. Dinner wasn't supposed to start for another hour, but people tended to gather early to talk and catch up on the gossip as of late.

A gust of wind blew several golden, orange, and brown leaves from the trees, covering the tables in a colorful display for the holiday.

Sully walked away to talk with Robert E. Michaela tried to get back to peeling the potatoes, but she couldn't seem to concentrate.

"Michaela, why don't you take a break?" Dorothy asked.

"Why would I need to take a break?"

"You've got other things on your mind. You're engaged, and you should be spending today with the man you love."

"Go on, Dr. Mike," Myra said with a smile. "We can take care of things here."

"Are you sure?"

"Go on!" Dorothy encouraged. Michaela decided to spend some time alone with Sully, so she put down her pail of potatoes and set the knife down. She cleaned off her hands and walked over to where Sully was now standing alone. Robert E. had gone over to help his new wife take food over to place on the table.

"Did I tell ya how beautiful you look today?" Sully asked, taking Michaela's hand in his.

"No, you haven't," Michaela replied. Sully leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"You do look beautiful."

"Sully? Can we go for a walk?"

"What about dinner?"

"We have awhile. Please?"

"Come on," Sully replied. He and Michaela walked side-by-side, hand-in-hand toward the meadow. The flowers were all gone for the fall and winter, but Michaela couldn't wait to see them in full bloom once spring arrived.

"Sully, I have something to tell you."

"Hmm?" he asked, listening happily, loving the fact that he was alone with her.

"I've been having dreams lately."

"What kind of dreams?" he asked.

"Well, I've been dreaming of our first child."

"Really?" he asked, turning to face her. They joined both of their hands and stood face to face as if they were at the altar becoming husband and wife. Sully pulled Michaela to him and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her hands rested on his arms and she looked up into his eyes. "Was it a boy or a girl?"

"In most of my dreams we have a daughter and she looks just like me."

"I'd love that," Sully said with a proud smile.

"I've had one dream in which we had a son," she replied. "He had your eyes, and he looked so much like you."

"I'd like that too, but I think I'd like to have a little girl first so I could look into her eyes and see her ma everyday."

"What if she has your eyes?"

"Well as long as she's got your smile, I'll be thrilled. Our children are going to be beautiful."

"And I'm sure that between the two of us, they'll have plenty of hair," Michaela joked. They laughed together and Michaela sighed heavily. "Sully, what do you want to name our firstborn daughter?"

"Well, I'd like to have my mother's name somewhere in there."  
"What was her name?"

"Katherine."

"Katherine," Michaela pondered thoughtfully. "And I'd like to have my mother's name in there too." After a few moments she smiled. "Katherine Elizabeth Charlotte Sully."

"That's quite a mouthful, but it's a beautiful name." Michaela smiled and sighed a hopeful kind of sigh.

"And our firstborn son?"

"Well, I never knew my father, so I don't want my son to be named after him. I would like to have your father's name in his."

"Father wouldn't want his first name to be Josef. He doesn't even like his name," Michaela said with a chuckle.

"Well, we'll think of that when the time comes. But I've got a feelin' that when we do have children, the first one will be a girl." Michaela kissed Sully softly and got a gleam in her eye.

"I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Sully asked. "Please tell me you didn't cook anything." Michaela swatted him on the arm playfully.

"Oh you!" She shook her head. "No, but I am paying you back for the night you blindfolded me." She pulled a blindfold out of her coat pocket and tied it around his head so it covered his eyes. He groaned and Michaela took his hand and led him into the woods.

"Where are we goin'?"

"You'll find out when we get there, won't you?" Sully decided not to put up a struggle, and he found that Michaela's walk was rather long. But after about twenty minutes of very brisk walking, they arrived at their destination. Michaela took off Sully's blindfold and he blinked and looked around in confusion.

"We're at the lean-to."

"Mhm," she replied with a smile. "Come sit." She and Sully sat down together on one of Sully's blankets. Michaela pulled something out from her medical bag. It was wrapped in a piece of cloth, and Sully was curious.

"I went to the reservation the other day, and Cloud Dancing helped me make this for you." She handed Sully her gift and he unwrapped it. He smiled in appreciate when he saw that she had made him a new beaded necklace with precious beads that Cloud Dancing had supplied her with.

"I don't know what to say," Sully said, putting the necklace on proudly.

"I hope I made it right. I wasn't sure."

"It's perfect. It's beautiful, Michaela. Thank you."

"The beads he helped me pick out stand for love, honor, and courage. You have all of those qualities, and that's why I can't wait to be your wife." Sully kissed Michaela, and when they parted, they gently rubbed noses and smiled at one another.

The wind began to pick up and they realized they should probably start heading back to get ready for Thanksgiving dinner.

They walked back into town, hand-in-hand just as the turkey was being placed in front of the Reverend. Charlotte had saved a seat next to her for Michaela, and a seat next to that for Sully. As soon as the couple was seated, the Reverend stood with the carving tools. Everyone bowed their heads except for Sully.

"God, we thank you for the wonderful feast that Grace has prepared for us. We thank you for the strength this town has had to endure the hardships. We ask you to look over Charlotte Cooper and her children during this trying time, and we ask you to bless the impending union of Sully and Dr. Mike. Please watch over our visiting guests from Boston, Josef and Elizabeth Quinn. We ask you to grant us the strength to continue on for many years to come. Amen."

"Amen," the crowd prayed in unison. The Reverend began to carve the turkey while the rest of the townsfolk passed around the side dishes and rolls. Grace smiled proudly as everyone enjoyed their food and the company of one another.

Michaela helped Brian with the turkey he was trying to cut, while Charlotte watched her children and friend, knowing that this was the first and last time she would every see them together at Thanksgiving.

Elizabeth and Josef were having a good time despite the chilly weather. They were enjoying Grace's cooking, knowing that not even Martha back in Boston could cook that well. They had to admit that Grace's food was the best they'd ever eaten, and over the past few weeks, they had become spoiled on it.

The meal went on and on while everyone got their fill on the meal they all came together for once a year. Michaela didn't noticed the whispers that some people shared as they glanced at Dr. Mike and Sully knowingly. Luckily none of those whispers were bad, but good, speaking quietly about the surprise Michaela was in store for.

By the time the meal was over, the sun was starting to set. Michaela and Sully helped Myra, Grace, Dorothy, and Robert E. clear the tables and clean the dishes while the Brian, Colleen, and Matthew helped Charlotte back over to the clinic. Hank had closed the saloon for the holiday, so he, Jake, and Loren were at the mercantile talking. The rest of the town was continuing on as it usually did. Horace had gone back to manage the telegraph, even though it was a holiday.

Josef and Elizabeth had retired for the evening to get some rest. It had been a long day, and they were both very tired.

When night fell, Sully rode with Michaela back to the homestead. He could see that she was tired, and he needed to get back to building the homestead. It was coming along nicely, and he was sure that it would be finished by the time late December rolled around. He had given in and let Matthew help him build the barn, and they had finished that in three days, and the fences were up. Sully was still working with the homestead, and it would be a good month before it was complete. He was going to be happy with it as long as the snow didn't come until after it was finished. The last three years in a row, snow hadn't arrived until right after Christmas.

"Whoa," Sully commanded the horses as they arrived at the homestead. The horses slowed to a stop and Sully got out of the wagon and helped Michaela out. She went into the barn ahead of him and lit a lantern. She brought it out so he could see to unhitch the horses and take them into the barn. When he was finished, Michaela turned out the lantern and they walked outside to only have the light of the moon to guide them.

"I had a lovely day," Michaela said with a smile, her eyes lighting up in the moonlight.

"Me too," Sully replied. "Thank you for the necklace."

"Thank you for joining me at dinner."

"Happy Thanksgivin'."

"It is," Michaela replied. "This year I have something to be thankful for. I have you."

"Me too," Sully replied with a smile. "I've got you." After a few moments of silence, Sully spoke up again. "I best be getting along. I've got a busy day tomorrow."

"Do you mind if I stop out to see you?"

"Nope. I'd be happy to have a distraction as long as it's as pretty as you." Michaela blushed and Sully kissed her softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," Michaela replied. Sully walked off and she watched until he disappeared into the woods before she turned and retired into the homestead for the rest of the night, looking forward to what the next day would bring.


	12. Distractions

**Chapter 12: Distractions**

"How big is the house?" Brian asked in wonder as Sully drove the wagon out to the new homestead. Matthew was riding ahead on his horse while Sully drove himself, Michaela, Colleen, and Brian. It was Christmas Eve, and Sully had finished the house in record time, having Matthew help him put in the 'indoor plumbing.' Sully couldn't wait to show Michaela the home he had created for their new family, and he figured he would bring his future children along because it would be their home one-day too.

"It's got five bedrooms upstairs," Sully explained. Michaela hadn't been out to the new homestead since the day after Thanksgiving, and she was anxious to see what Sully had done with it.

"Are you comin' to the Christmas party tonight, Sully?" Colleen asked.

"If your ma's comin' on my arm, I sure will."

"Of course I am," Michaela replied.

"It looks like it's gonna snow," Brian said with a hopeful grin.

"Well, now that the house is done, we don't have to worry 'bout it," Sully replied with a chuckle. The wagon rounded the bend and the beautiful home came into view. Michaela's jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

"Oh Sully!" Michaela exclaimed. The children became excited by the home as well. "It's even more beautiful than I had imagined! Oh!" Sully stopped the wagon and helped Michaela and Colleen out as Brian hopped out the back. Michaela hugged Sully and kissed him several times as the excitement built up inside of her over the house. She hadn't been so thrilled about something like this in a long time.

"I'm glad you like it," Sully said with a smile. "I was hopin' to get it done before winter."

"Oh, Sully, I can hardly wait until May to marry you and move into our new home." The children shared a knowing glance and nearly burst out into laughter. It was amazing that young Brian Cooper had managed to keep a secret for so long, and for a moment, Colleen thought he was going to give it all away. But they ran off to go explore the house while Matthew unlocked the door with a key Sully had given him. As soon as the children were inside, Sully picked Michaela up into his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Their lips met and they kissed softly. A moment later, the kiss built up quickly, but they were interrupted by the cries of excitement coming from Colleen as she saw the kitchen. They laughed and Sully took Michaela's hand.

"You ready to see the house?"

"Yes," Michaela replied. She smiled a little. "But before we go in, I need to ask you something."

"What's that?"

"I know the wedding isn't until May, but I need to tell you before it's too late, that I don't want to change my name."

"What?" Sully asked quickly.

"I don't want to change my name from Quinn to Sully."

"Why not?"

"Well, I wasn't going to bring this up, but I was going to ask you to wear a ring."

"Wear a ring?" Sully asked. "No. I ain't wearin' a ring."

"Well, I've thought about that for awhile, and I knew that you probably didn't want to wear a ring, because it doesn't mean the same thing to you as it does to me. So, I knew that you'd say no and I accepted the answer before I heard it. If I can accept your not wanting to wear a ring to show the world that we belong to each other, you should accept that I don't want to change my name."

"What's the other reason? I know you've got one."

"Well, I believe that I have worked very hard to become Dr. Quinn, and I really don't want to change that. Sully, I would be proud to wear your name, and it's not that I wouldn't love to be Michaela Sully, but I've just worked too hard and too long for people to recognize my name and notice me as a woman doctor."

"But, women always change their names."

"You have forgotten that I'm not like most women." Sully sighed in frustration.

"But, Michaela, I figured that it was somethin' you'd do just because it was traditional."

"I'm sorry if I'm upsetting you, Sully."

"Look, this ain't gonna fix itself right now," Sully replied. "I brought us all out here to see the house, not to argue with ya." Sully walked ahead to check on the kids and Michaela folded her arms across her chest. Sully was walking away from her. She wondered why he was getting so upset with her right now. They had plenty of time to discuss it, didn't they? They weren't getting married until May. They had five more months to figure it out.

Brian came running out of the house and hurried over to Michaela who was a bit upset.

"Why didn't ya come in with Sully?"

"I'll be along in a minute, Brian."

"Why are you cryin'?"

"I'm just a little overwhelmed," Michaela replied with her best fake smile. She knelt down in front of him and decided to get her mind off of her spat with Sully. "Brian, what do you think of the house?"

"I like it!" he said with a grin. That grin soon faded. "I only wish I wasn't movin' in just 'cause ma was sick. I wish God would decide to take her cancer away."

"I know. So do I, sweetheart," Michaela replied. She pulled him into a hug and breathed heavily. "So do I." She took Brian's hand and they walked into the new homestead. Michaela had already fallen in love with it the moment she saw it, but now that she was inside, she could see that it was more beautiful that she could have ever comprehended. Sully had done a lot of work in the past few months, and it definitely paid off. Brian ran off to look in the root cellar with Matthew and Colleen.

Michaela climbed the stairs for the first time, disappointed that she wasn't climbing those stairs with her husband-to-be. She found him standing in the master bedroom. He was leaning against the posts of a hand-made bed.

"Sully," Michaela began, her eyes focused on the intricately designed bed that had Indian feathers carved into the headboard.

"I made this right after we got engaged. It's my weddin' present to ya." Sully turned to look at Michaela and she sighed heavily.

"I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know ya didn't," he replied. "I didn't mean to snap at ya."

"I suppose every couple has to have their arguments," Michaela pointed out.

"I just hate arguin' with ya."

"Me too," Michaela replied. "We don't have to settle this right now."

"We need to."

"Why? We have until May to figure out what to do. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Because," he began. He took a deep breath. "Because I want to make sure we've got everything taken care of." Sully pulled Michaela close and looked into her eyes. "Just don't make me wear a ring. Abagail tried to make me wear a ring, and the day I finally decided that I'd wear it was after we were married, and it was the day she died."

"Oh Sully, I didn't know," Michaela whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't fret about it," he replied. "You're right. You didn't know. I hadn't told you." Michaela sighed heavily.

"I feel terrible."

"Don't," Sully replied. He took Michaela's hand in his and kissed it delicately. "The only thing we should be worrying about is the weddin' day. We've got plenty of time to sort those things out. And, I'm sorry for upsettin' ya. If not havin' my name is important to ya, then you don't have to take it."

"Sully, I want you to know that I would be honored to have your name, but being an established doctor, or at least a doctor who is trying to make a name for herself, makes it even harder when you have to tell everyone you've changed your name."

"You don't have to do that then," Sully replied. "Rings and names don't matter. What matters is how we feel about each other."

"Sully, I can give it some thought if you'd like me to," Michaela offered. Sully shook his head and smiled, kissing his soon-to-be wife's cheek.

"You don't have to. I want you to be happy, and if keepin' your name the same makes you happy, then I'll be happy."

"Do you really mean that?" Michaela asked.

"You know I'm a man of my word," Sully replied. He pulled Michaela close and kissed her. A weight seemed to lift off of both of their shoulders. They had survived their first lovers' quarrel, but that was a small one that was easily fixed. Matthew knocked on the door and stepped inside as Michaela and Sully pulled away.

"Uh, sorry," he said, his cheeks blushing a bit.

"That's alright, Matthew," Michaela relied. "What is it?"

"Can I talk to Sully for a minute?"

"Certainly," Michaela replied. She kissed Sully on the cheek and started out the door to check on the children. As soon as Michaela was out of earshot, Matthew cleared his throat.

"Dr. Mike's sisters are supposed to get here today," he said quickly.

"Alright. Would you mind ridin' into town and telling them to stay at the mercantile?"

"Did you ask Mr. Bray?"

"Yeah, I settled that with him last week when they were supposed to get there."  
"Alright. I'll go ahead." Matthew walked downstairs and started for the door.

"Where are you going?" Michaela asked curiously.

"I forgot that I have to do somethin' in town. I'll see you guys later." He left before Michaela could get another question out. Sully came walking down the stairs and Michaela looked over at him.

"Did Matthew tell you where he was goin'?"  
"He has somethin' to do in town," Sully replied with an innocent shrug. "Come on. We better get into town before they start the tree lightin' without us." The Cooper children, Sully, and Michaela all left the house, locking it up tight, and started off for town in the wagon. All the while, Michaela couldn't help but wonder where Matthew had gone off to in such a hurry. She was starting to become suspicious once again.

Matthew helped Marjorie, Rebecca, Claudette, and Maureen out of the stagecoach. The Quinn sisters had celebrated Christmas with their respective families before they headed off to Colorado Springs. They wanted to be with their sister for her first Christmas in a new place.

"Michaela isn't around, is she?" Marjorie asked.

"Nope. Sully's showin' her the new homestead."

"Wonderful," Rebecca said with a smile. "Ladies, we should have time to make it over to the church."

"The dress is finished," Dorothy said with a smile. "So are the bridesmaids' and Matrons of Honor dresses. You ladies can relax until tomorrow."

"Even better," Claudette said with a laugh. "Come along ladies." They all started over to the mercantile. Jake and Hank walked over to Matthew.

"Dr. Mike and Sully are comin' into town, now."

"Alright, we have to distract her so she doesn't see her sister's luggage."

"Not a problem," Hank said with a sly grin. Jake helped Matthew carry in Michaela's sisters' luggage.

Hank swaggered over to the livery where Sully was parking the wagon. Hank helped Michaela down and Sully looked at him questioningly.

"Why thank you, Hank," Michaela said, surprised he had actually extended his hand to help her down and hadn't pulled it away at the last minute to let her fall on the cold hard ground.

"Dr. Mike, I'm feelin' a scratch in my throat. Do you think you could take a look at it?"

"Sure. Come over to the clinic," Michaela replied, surprised at Hank's sudden manners. When Michaela turned away, Hank pointed toward the mercantile and mouthed to Sully that Rebecca, Marjorie, Maureen, and Claudette were there. Sully nodded in appreciation. He had been surprised when Hank and Jake had offered to help with no strings attached, but perhaps it had to do with Marjorie's and Myra's persuading Hank to do it, and Hank telling Jake he'd cut him off at the saloon if he didn't help.

Michaela and Hank entered the clinic while Sully walked over to the mercantile. After properly looking at Hank's throat, Michaela concluded that Hank was as healthy as a horse.

"Are you sure that your throat is scratch? I see no signs of irritation," Michaela explained, cleaning her hands off in a basin of water.

"Well, it is that time of year when people start getting sick," Hank said with a shrug.

"Well, the only thing I can think of for you to do is to brew some hot tea and drink that before bed every evening or when your throat starts to bother you." Hank shook his head.

"Nah, I got whisky for that." Hank left and Michaela shook her head in confusion. It had almost been as if Hank was trying to distract her. She shrugged that feeling off and went about straightening things up. She wasn't going to work on Christmas Eve, but she could at least tidy things up for the day after Christmas when she returned to work.

Sully entered the mercantile, his face a bit pale. Loren saw him and he knew immediately what was going through Sully's mind.

"Where are Dr. Mike's sisters?"

"Dorothy's settlin' them in upstairs. Sully, you're as pale as a sheet. Sit down," Loren offered, pulling a chair down for the man to sit on. Sully gladly accepted Loren's offer. He felt weak in the knees as butterflies practically performed somersaults inside his belly.

"Good," Sully said, swallowing hard, trying to keep the butterflies from leaving his stomach. Loren patted his back and Sully nearly felt his stomach lurch. Loren chuckled and sat down in a seat across from him.

"You're nervous."

"No I'm not."

"I can tell. You're nervous about Dr. Mike's surprise tomorrow."

"Well, I guess I am a little."

"Well, there ain't nothin' to be worried about. She's gonna love it because you came up with the idea. She's going to be grateful for everything you've done."

"You think so?" Sully asked quietly. Loren nodded.

"I know so. I just want ya to know there's no hard feelins'. Not anymore." Loren extended his hand and Sully's face seemed to regain a bit of color. He shook his former father-in-law's hand and stood up. "It's Christmas Eve. You should be spendin' it with the woman you love." Sully nodded in realization and hurried over to the clinic. He burst through the doors, and Michaela jumped in shock.

"Sully! You startled me!" She waited for her heart to return to it's normal pace.

"Sorry," Sully replied with a sheepish grin. "I just thought that since it's Christmas Eve, we could spend the day together."

"Well, I have a lot of things to prepare for when I return to work."

"Can't they wait?" Sully asked. Michaela saw the look in his eyes and she couldn't help but smile.

"Of course they can." She reached out and caressed his cheek softly with her hand. Sully smiled and waited for her to at least finish putting the fresh bandages and sheets into the closet. He helped her into her coat, and they walked hand-in-hand over to Grace's Café.

"I'm honestly thinkin' of buyin' my own buildin' to have this café in. It's gettin' too cold to be workin' out here. I'm gonna have to close up for the winter," Grace said as she poured a cup of coffee for Michaela and one for Sully.

"Well, you've done very well for yourself since it opened. I'm sure that more customers will come along when it begins to warm up."

"I'm not worried about the money. Myra already told me that she ain't worried about it neither."

"Where is Myra, anyway?" Michaela asked.

"I gave her the day off to spend with Horace. Those two really are sweet on one another." Michaela and Sully smiled at each other before Sully looked up at Grace.

"Grace, why don't ya take the day off?" Sully asked, drinking down his coffee in on very scorching gulp. Michaela looked at him when his face turned a bit pink.

"Y'know. I might just do that," Grace replied with a quick nod. She realized what was going on, and she decided it was time to get Michaela out of there. Michaela drank her coffee carefully but quickly and gave Grace the cup. Sully stood and helped Michaela up.

"Did you bring the gifts for Brian, Colleen, and Matthew into town?" Sully wondered.

"Oh! I completely forgot. They're at the homestead."

"Come on. I'll take you to pick them up." Michaela nodded. Grace watched as Sully and Michaela got into the wagon at the livery and drove off before she gave a signal. Dorothy, Myra, Elizabeth, Claudette, Maureen, Marjorie, Rebecca, and Colleen rushed over.

"Alright ladies. We've got a lot to do for today. We ain't doin' the hot food till tomorrow mornin', but we can get the things that can wait overnight finished today. We need to hurry before Sully gets Dr. Mike back into town. He's takin' her out to the homestead, but he knows he needs to stall. We need to get movin' quickly." The ladies all got to work while Sully distracted Michaela for the rest of the afternoon.

"Sully? Where on earth are you going? This isn't the way to the homestead."

"I know," Sully replied with a sparkle in his eyes.

"I'm confused."

"We'll go to the homestead later. I just wanted to spend some time with ya. Talkin', you know?"

"Alright," Michaela replied, scooting closer to him. He drove the wagon holding onto the reins with one hand while his other arm moved around to wrap around Michaela's shoulders.

"Michaela, what do you want to do once we get married?"

"What do you mean?"  
"For the honeymoon? Where do you want to go?" Sully asked as the wagon rolled along slowly. Michaela took a deep breath and thought for a moment.

"When I was a little girl, I always wanted to go watch a play in a big city, but I've done that in Boston. I think that I would just enjoy a quiet, un-interrupted night in our new house." Sully smiled and kissed Michaela softly.

"I'd like that too," he replied. As they continued along, Michaela became very content with riding out alone with Sully. It was so cold that all she could think about was him keeping her warm. She knew she needed to get her mind onto other things.

"Do you think it will snow tonight?" she asked. "Brian wants to have a snowy Christmas."

"Well, I suppose it might. Those clouds seem to be settlin' in instead of passin' us by."

They continued on for the rest of the afternoon, not stopping by the homestead until later that afternoon. Michaela didn't notice how the time was passing, because she was with her future husband. The only thing she was regretting was that she wouldn't have him to keep her warm tonight, a night that promised to be mighty chilly.

Sully noticed Michaela starting to shiver, so he pulled a blanket from the back of the wagon and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Better?"

"Mmm," she replied with a nod. Sully kissed her, feeling the coldness in her lips fading away at his touch.

"You're so beautiful." Michaela blushed and snuggled closer to him. He kept a tight arm around her and continued on.

Michaela woke in the morning feeling very cold but surprisingly well-rested. The evening had been beautiful. She had given the Cooper children their presents early, and even spent most of the evening with Charlotte who was too tired to get out of bed. However, Michaela found her surprisingly cheery and not at all drowsy.

She and Sully had lit candles together for the Christmas tree in the center of town. She had spent time with her family and hadn't gotten home until well after midnight. She looked out the window and she was excited and very much surprised to see a fresh, sparkling blanket of snow on the ground. Her eyes lit up and she couldn't wait to get into town to be with her family for Christmas.

She washed up and dressed quickly, brushing her hair out and putting on her nicest dress. Once she had she shoes on snugly, she walked outside to hitch up the wagon. She was surprised to see that the wagon was hitched up and decorated with a chain of red roses. Even the horses had rose garlands around their necks.

"What in the world?" she wondered. Matthew, Colleen, and Brian Cooper came out of the barn wearing their finest clothes. Michaela grinned at them when she saw how wonderful they looked. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Dr. Mike," they replied. Matthew helped her into the wagon and they rode into town, careful of any icy patches that may have been hidden beneath the fluffy blanket of white.

"What brought you out here this morning?"

"We thought you might now want to ride into town alone today, is all," Brian replied. He was about to burst, wanting to blurt out the surprise, but he knew that everyone in town would have his hide if he did so.

Michaela talked with the children during their ride into town, and she was happy that they had surprised her. She wasn't quite sure why they had decorated the horses with rose garlands, but it was beautiful. She decided not to ask questions.

"This is gonna be a great Christmas, Dr. Mike," Colleen said with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"One you'll never forget" Brian added. Matthew wanted to nudge his little brother, but he was driving the wagon. Colleen did it for him. "I mean, it's snowin' on Christmas for once, so that makes it extra special." They continued on in silence as a light flurry of snow showered down upon them.

"Colorado is even more beautiful at Christmas time," Michaela noted.

"It sure is," Matthew agreed.

As they neared town, Michaela became confused again. She saw Grace, Myra, and Dorothy at the café. They were cooking, and Michaela distinctly remembered Grace saying the café wasn't going to be open until the day after Christmas. She didn't say anything, not sure of what to say anyway. She figured Matthew would be pulling the wagon over toward the livery, but he turned and took the wagon toward the wooden bridge crossing over into the churchyard. Michaela noticed silver and baby blue ribbons decorating the wooden bridge.

"What's that?" she asked. The children were quiet and seemed as if they didn't notice. Matthew stopped the wagon in front of the church. Michaela noticed the railing of the steps. They were decorated in white and blue flowers along with the silver and blue ribbons.

"Sully asked me to give you this," Matthew pointed out. He pulled a folded letter out from his coat. Michaela took it from his gloved hand and Matthew helped her out. He got back into the wagon and started off.

"Where on earth are you going?" Michaela called after him.

"I just remember that I have to do something," he called back. Michaela noticed Colleen and Brian looking back at her with big grins on their faces. She shook her head, not understand what was going on. She unfolded the letter that Matthew had given to her and she began to read.

_Michaela,_

_You must be confused about what has happened to you today. Meet me in the church and I will explain everything. Love, Sully_

Michaela slowly ascended the steps of the church, and when she walked in, she found blue and white flower petals mixed in with red for the color of Christmas. She swallowed hard and looked around the corner to see candles lit all along the walls, and candles as centerpieces on beautifully decorated tables. Sully was standing at the front of the church wearing something Michaela had never seen before. It was an intricately designed Indian suit of some sort. The patterns and beads were breathtaking.

"Sully?" she asked. He held his hand out to her and she joined him, taking his hand in her own.

"Merry Christmas," he said, flashing her a smile. She noticed that he was clean-shaven. She smiled back.

"Merry Christmas," she replied. Her fingers played with the strings on Sully's suit. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it. "What's this you're wearing?"

"This is what Cloud Dancin' wore the day he and Snow Bird married." He swallowed hard and Michaela's eyes went wide.

"Married?"

"Michaela, I know this is early, and I know that you wanted a May weddin', but I also know you want your pa to give you away and you want Charlotte to be there with you. So, I'm askin' you right here, right now, if you will marry me today." Michaela felt as if she wasn't breathing. Her heart seemed to stop for a second, and her eyes were tearing up.

"Oh Sully," she whispered. Her hands went up to touch his face. "This is what you've been planning for so long? This is why you wanted to finish the homestead before Christmas? This is why everyone has been so secretive?" she asked in realization. Sully nodded with a small grin on his face. "They all knew?"

"They wanted to do somethin' nice for ya, because you've brought medicine to a town where people were afraid of a cold. They didn't have much, but since you've been here, everyone is comin' to you even though they don't know much about lady doctors. They care about you and they wanted to help me."

"Even Hank and Jake?"

"Hank did it because Marjorie and Myra talked him into it. Jake did it because Hank threatened him." Michaela laughed and the tears began to fall.

"So what do you say? Will you marry me?"

"Sully, I am so surprised! I had no idea what was going on. You did a wonderful job of keeping me very confused." They both laughed together and Michaela's arms wrapped around Sully's neck. "I would be honored to marry you today. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. I can't imagine my life without you."

"Same here," he replied, kissing her softly.

"I'll marry you today," she replied softly, looking up into his eyes with more love and devotion than Sully ever thought possible. "We're marrying in here?"

"No," Sully replied. "There ain't enough room, plus, this is where the reception's gonna be." He pointed toward one of the side windows. "Look out there." Michaela slowly walked over and peered out the curtain. She gasped when she saw a lovely altar constructed with rows and rows of white chairs. A beautiful pure white tent covered it with flower garlands wrapped around the posts. Her hand moved to her mouth and the tears flowed even heavier. She sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"Sully, it's so beautiful. I can't believe you've done all of this!"

"I'm glad you like it," he replied. He kissed her cheek. "Come on out everybody! She agreed!" The church crowded with Myra, Grace, Dorothy, Elizabeth, Reverend Johnson, Loren, Jake, Hank, Robert E., Josef, Horace, Charlotte, the children, and everyone that had grown close to Michaela. Her eyes went wide when she saw her four sisters.

"Before you say anything, we arrived yesterday," Marjorie said with a cheerful laugh. Charlotte walked up to her with a smile on her face.

"We best be getting you ready. Your groom is already ready."

"He shouldn't see me! It's bad luck!"

"Don't worry about that. Cloud Dancin' is wardin' off the bad luck," Brian said with a grin. Michaela smiled and leaned down to kiss the boy's cheek.  
"Come along, Dr. Mike," Grace said. "The food's cookin', and it ain't gonna be finished until after the weddin'. We've got all the time in the world."

"Come on, Sully," Matthew said, patting his future father on the back. The women ran off with Michaela and the men took Sully before they could even get a chance to kiss one another goodbye. The children were left to decorating the wagon with tin cans and more ribbons to coincide with the rose garlands. It was sure to be a grand day!

The ladies were all wearing light blue dresses with beautiful ribbons tied into their fancy hairdos. The Quinn sisters had helped with the hair because they were so used to doing their own hair in those styles. Everyone was working with Michaela's hair after they had put her dress on. She was mesmerized by the sight of herself in that dress, and she knew that this was the first and last time she would ever be wearing it.

Charlotte was holding something behind her back as she made her way over to Michaela.

"Dr. Mike?" she asked. Michaela turned around.

"What is it, Charlotte?" she asked with a smile. The older woman pulled a pair of brand new white, elegant boots from behind her back. They weren't bulky at all, but dainty and sleek like Michaela's beautiful dress. "Oh! They're lovely!"

"I sent the money with Colleen who ordered 'em from Boston. I thought you might like to have 'em for your weddin' day."  
"Thank you," Michaela whispered, tears starting to come to her eyes again. The two hugged and the other woman seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"You look so beautiful," Myra whispered. "So grand!" Michaela blushed and Dorothy walked up to her with a bouquet of beautiful blue and white flowers.

"Don't ask me how I got 'em, but it was quite a headache to get these and those roses. It ain't easy to find flowers in the wintertime."

"Thank you Dorothy, they're lovely," Michaela replied, hugging her.

"Well, you have you need something old, new, borrowed, and blue," Grace pointed out.

"The shoes are new," Michaela suggested.

"You can borrow these," Marjorie offered, holding out a strand of pearls.

"Thank you, but I'm going to wear the locket Sully made for me," Michaela replied. Elizabeth fastened it around her daughter's neck.

"You can borrow this," Myra replied, handing her a white lace handkerchief. "Don't worry, it ain't been used." The women all laughed. "It's old too. My grandma gave it to me."

"We have old, new, and borrowed."

"The flowers are blue," Grace replied. "She's all set!"

"Are you ready to get married?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm more than ready," Michaela replied with a content sigh. "I've been waiting for this moment for so long, and I'm so happy that I don't have to wait until May." The girls all giggled and everyone began making last minute preparations as everyone worked with Michaela's hair, putting beautiful ringlets in and plenty of pins to hold it together.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Jake asked as Robert E. rubbed the waiting groom's shoulders. Sully was sitting inside of the church with all of the men. Robert E., Jake, Horace, and Matthew were acting as groomsmen.

"Sure I am," Sully replied.

"What are you frettin' about then?"

"Cloud Dancin' ain't here yet," Matthew pointed out. Despite the town's differences with the Cheyenne, they certainly weren't going to start anything on Dr. Mike and Sully's day.

"Well, if he don't make it, Matthew can step in as your best man," Jake pointed out.

"He'll be here," Matthew replied. As if on cue, Cloud Dancing stepped into the church. Sully was completely relieved as he walked over to greet his Cheyenne brother.

"Glad you could make it," Sully said with a chuckle.

"Where is your bride?"

"She's getting ready," Sully replied. Cloud Dancing nodded. Colleen rushed into the church.

"The bridesmaids are comin' down the street."

"Places gentlemen," the Reverend ordered. The men filed out of the church and into the cold winter air. The snow was falling softly and there was no wind. Although it was cold, Sully couldn't tell. He was only focused on the train of women coming across the bridge. Rebecca and Charlotte were at the back and ahead of Michaela. Sully's eyes froze on his bride as she paused on the bridge. Josef Quinn held his arm out to her and she linked her arm with his.

This was the proudest day of Josef Quinn's life. He hadn't been more proud since the day Michaela was born. Now he was giving his last little girl away, and it brought a tear to his eye to see how amazing she looked in her gown.

"I'm so proud of you," Josef whispered as the wedding march began to play. Michaela's heart began to pound as the shivering townsfolk stood and gasped at her radiance.

Michaela and Josef made their way up the aisle, and as soon as they reached the front, Josef handed Michaela off to his soon-to-be son-in-law. They shook hands and Michaela and Sully stepped up to the Reverend. Sully and Michaela were completely oblivious to the cold, and the audience was so focused on the ceremony that they had forgotten about the cold as well.

Rebecca and Charlotte stood closer to Michaela than the bridesmaids while Cloud Dancing stood with Sully.

The sparkling snow seemed to make Michaela's dress shimmer and glitter in the sunlight. The Reverend cleared his throat to speak.

"Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. These two have been blessed with the love that God has endowed them with, and they have used it to come together in the union of marriage." He paused for a moment and looked at the bride and groom before he continued with the vows he had written out at Sully's request. "Into this holy union, Michaela Quinn and Byron Sully now come to be joined. If anyone here in our presence today can show a reason why they should not be wed, please speak now or forever hold your peace." Nobody spoke, all knowing that Michaela and Sully were meant to be with one another forever. "Who gives this woman to this man?"

"I do," Josef replied proudly. Michaela and Sully turned to smile at the proud father of the bride. They turned back to focus on one another as Josef sat down beside his wife.

"Do you, Sully, take Michaela to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as you both shall live?" Sully looked into Michaela's eyes and smiled at her with warmth and love.

"I do," he promised. The Reverend continued.

"Do you, Michaela, take Sully to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," she replied, without hesitation.

"The ring, please?" the Reverend asked. Cloud Dancing passed the solid gold band to his best friend. "Lord, bless this ring as a symbol of Sully's love for Michaela, and grant them the strength to love one another all of their days." Sully slipped the ringer onto Michaela's hand, and she looked down as her gold band and diamond ring connected for the first time. The Reverend took Michaela's hand and Sully's in his own. "By giving each other their solemn vows and the ring to symbolize their eternal love, I now pronounce them husband and wife. Those whom God has joined together, let no man put asunder. Amen." A brief 'amen' came from the crowd, and Sully and Michaela grinned happily at one another. "You may now kiss the bride." Everyone began to clap as Sully pulled Michaela into his arms, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her with a tender passion. The crowed cheered louder as their lips broke apart and met again in another quick kiss. Sully and Michaela joined hands again and looked at each other before they made their way down the aisle, hand-in-hand as husband and wife.

THE END


End file.
